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Weather Risk Transfer Solutions

Innovative weather coverage for all industry sectors.

Over two-thirds of the world’s economy is directly or indirectly dependent on meteorological conditions. As climate change progresses, extreme weather events like heavy rain or drought periods are becoming more frequent, exposing companies to ever greater uncertainties and losses. Munich Re develops tailor-made risk transfer solutions for all industry sectors impacted by an increase in non-catastrophic weather variabilities.

Companies can protect against the financial consequences of adverse weather and climate risks by implementing tailored weather derivative and reinsurance solutions based on parametric triggers. 

Innovative weather coverage – what's in it for you?

Minimize weather-related basis risk
Eliminate over/under hedge volume risk inherent in traditional price hedges by opting for structured solutions.
Ease financial pain
Reduce the volatility in power production caused by weather events and optimize revenues.
Free up capital
Gain flexibility in your investment planning, securing profit and facilitating the financing of new projects.
Produce energy reliably
Ensure renewable asset volumetric and revenue stability with proxy-generation structures.
Attract investors
Render your projects more appealing by reducing your downside risk through a weather hedge.

Parametric weather products explained

Parametric weather products provide financial security for businesses that rely on stable weather conditions. These market-based solutions compensate weather-related losses of the counterparty if realized weather falls outside an established range. The operative weather index can be based on variables such as  temperature, wind speed, precipitation, or irradiation.

These products in the form of derivative contracts benefit companies operating in commodity-linked businesses can additionally protect against the contingent variability of commodity prices with our tailored dual-trigger solutions combining weather and contingency prices structures.

What is a weather derivative contract?

  • A weather derivative contract will be triggered if both the realized weather and the price of a related commodity fall outside an established range.
  • A risk transfer solution designed to absorb the exact portion of exposure, leaving a residual risk that is commensurate with risk tolerance with strikes at or away from the mean.
  • Structured as a contract of differences (mathematical objectivity), not an indemnity contract. Choose from a wide variety of available structures - Swaps, Calls, Puts, Collars, Baskets, etc.
Annual Market Rankings 2020
Annual Market Rankings 2020
Annual Market Rankings 2021
Energy Risk Asia Awards 2021
Annual Market Rankings 2021

North America

Europe

North America and Europe

Asia

Asia

Runner-up, Best structured product seller
Weather Risk Management
Winner, Best structured product seller
Weather Risk Management
Winner, Best structured product seller
Weather Risk Management
Winner, Weather house of the year
Runner-up, Best structured product seller
Weather Risk Management

Weather Risk Transfer Solutions

Temperature
Wind
Solar Irradiation
Precipitation
$30
billion annually by 2050
Climate-driven changes in heating and cooling will likely increase residential and commercial energy costs in the US by $8.5 billion to $30 billion.*
6,000GW
by 2050
Global wind power is projected to rise ten-fold, reaching over 6,000 GW by 2050.**
$290
billion in 2028
Global solar power market is expected to exceed $290 billion in 2028 as demand explodes.***
9 of 10
top years
The US saw 9 of the top 10 years for extreme single-day precipitation events since 1996 – a trend on the rise.****

Temperature risk mitigation products are primarily used to mitigate the revenue variability based on temperatures, electricity or gas market prices. These products are strongly connected to the energy industry.

Pure volumetric risk products are based on temperature and are focused as well on other industries such as agriculture, tourism and leisure or mining and construction.

When combining volumetric and price risks, we offer three main categories of coverage options:
  • Temperature Contingent Variable Call Options, combining temperature and price. We develop indices based on average, maximum, and minimum temperatures.
  • Call-Call Options to cover cold weather (winter)/warm weather (summer) and high commodity price scenarios or warm weather (winter)/cold weather (summer) and low commodity price scenarios.
  • Slice of system structures based on a fixed for floating load swap on a percentage load of the system. 

Wind risk mitigation products are primarily used to eliminate pure volumetric risk and to mitigate the revenue variability based on both volumetric and price risks. They have multiple applications for energy producers, construction, infrastructure, and transportation companies.

For power generation, our focus is to mitigate the variability in the average wind speed leading to loss of energy generation and revenues.

The main structures are:
  • Swaps where the variable volume/revenue is exchanged for a fixed volume/revenue.
  • Floors to guarantee a specific volume or revenue over time in exchange for an upfront premium.
  • Collars where the wind farm funds part of the premium required to guarantee the floor by selling some of the upside.

For other industries or for construction activities, the focus is on the coverage of high wind speeds that could cause delays or business interruption.

Our solar solutions are primarily intended for the power generation industry, like solar farm owners and utilities. The focus is to mitigate the variability in the average solar irradiation leading to loss generation and revenues.

The main structures are:
  • Swaps where the variable volume/revenue is exchanged for a fixed volume/revenue.
  • Floors to guarantee a specific volume or revenue over time in exchange for an upfront premium.
  • Collars where the wind farm funds part of the premium required to guarantee the floor by selling some of the upside.

Hydroelectric generation depends mainly on the amounts of water that is turbinated, which is driven by inflow, changes in reservoir levels and spillage. In some countries, hydrological river data is publicly available and can be used to hedge the production risk. In certain countries where public data is not available, precipitation data is used instead to replicate the hydro production.

The main structures are:
  • Swaps where the variable volume/revenue is exchanged for a fixed volume/revenue.
  • Floors to guarantee a specific volume or revenue over time in exchange for an upfront premium.
  • Collars where the customers funds part of the premium required to guarantee the floor by selling some of the upside.

Munich Re builds an index that mirrors the gross profit generated by hydro power plant. We can consider all existing bilateral power purchasing contracts as well as reliability contracts.

Design your own protection and transfer your business risk

Design your own protection and transfer your business risk
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Alvaro Nunez
Alvaro Nunez
North America | Latin America
Matthew Jimenez
Matthew Jimenez
North America
Ronny Bendlin Spür
Ronny Bendlin Spür
Europe | Asia | Australia