A web-based monitoring and alert solution, VisualEyes™ will monitor real-time and forecast weather conditions at the sites to ensure safe and efficient operations at each location.

Jim Marshall, Operations Performance Manager from RWE npower renewables, said: "Access to accurate weather conditions for individual sites is essential. VisualEyes™ literally allows us to keep an eye on wind farm conditions, so we can be confident we're operating in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible, and that we're not putting our staff at any risk due to hazardous weather conditions. We aim to extend our use of the Met Office's VisualEyes™ into our projects in Europe over the coming months."

Julian Menadue, Business Account Manager for the Met Office, said: "With multiple locations across the country, VisualEyes™ makes planning and monitoring across multiple sites easy with its ability to visualise the weather on maps and produce alerts and planning charts for each site from one central system."

VisualEyes™ will provide each RWE npower renewables' wind farm site with detailed, up-to-date, site-specific weather information from one central system, which can be accessed online 24/7. The site-specific forecasts and alerts are fed into the system for each location and displayed alongside a map.

In addition to real-time and forecast conditions, an inbuilt alert system will highlight any sites likely to experience adverse weather conditions. Thresholds are tailored for relevant weather elements, for example RWE npower renewables can set bespoke thresholds for lightning amongst other weather parameters, allowing it to identify clear weather windows and plan maintenance at a given site.

The key benefit of the Met Office's VisualEyes™ is its ability to anticipate weather conditions at wind farm sites and present this in an easy to interpret online platform. The availability of accurate data for real-time and forecast weather conditions enables RWE npower renewables to plan maintenance and repairs to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum, and in turn reduce maintenance costs - whilst ensuring the safety of staff and contractors on site.