New Report: Enhancing Solar and Wind Power Forecasting in Panama

How can Panama strengthen its forecasting systems to reliably integrate growing shares of solar and wind power?

This was the key question energy & meteo systems addressed in a consulting project commissioned under the Euroclima Programme, funded by the European Union as part of its Global Gateway strategy, implemented together with GIZ and in close cooperation with key stakeholders – particularly the national TSO Centro Nacional de Despacho (CND) and the Energy Ministry Secretaría Nacional de Energía (SNE).

To gain a comprehensive overview of the current forecasting system, we assessed the regulatory framework, operational processes, and the forecast data provided by IPPs to CND.

Why this matters: 

After an initial expansion driven mainly by large wind parks, Panama is now seeing rapid growth in small- to medium-sized solar PV installations. In 2025, solar and wind power contributed around 18% of national electricity generation – making accurate forecasting and effective system integration increasingly critical.

Key findings:

• Forecast availability for variable renewable energy (vRE) can be significantly improved – ideally through centralized forecasting for all solar and wind plants.
• Forecast accuracy can be enhanced with state-of-the-art models and short-term forecasts based on real-time plant data.
• Regulatory and operational frameworks should be adapted (e.g. shorter dispatch intervals) to better manage short-term fluctuations.

The report (available in Spanish) provides practical recommendations to support the next phase of Panama’s renewable transition.

Many thanks to Euroclima, GIZ and our Panamanian partners for the excellent collaboration!