Publications
Validation of PV performance models using satellite-based irradiance measurements : a case study
Photovoltaic (PV) system performance models are relied upon to provide accurate predictions of energy production for proposed and existing PV systems under a wide variety of environmental conditions. Ground based meteorological measurements are only available from a relatively small number of locations. In contrast, satellite-based radiation and weather data (e.g., SUNY database) are becoming increasingly available for most locations in North America, Europe, and Asia on a 10 x 10 km grid or better. This paper presents a study of how PV performance model results are affected when satellite-based weather data is used in place of ground-based measurements.