Solar Data Resource comparison – Simulated vs. Ground measurement

Solar Data Resource comparison – Simulated vs. Ground measurement

At present the solar radiation data in India is available from the many different sources. The data sources from which developers are working are:

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA – The NREL solar resource maps have a resolution of 10 kms. These maps have been developed using weather satellite data incorporated into a site-time specific solar mapping approach developed at the U.S. State University of New York at Albany.

• India Meteorological Department: IMD has carried out some ground measurement in Gujarat but at limited number of stations. All stations do not employ same configuration of instruments and also do not monitor the same parameters. Moreover, these stations are located at far off distances from potential solar power plant sites, thus data so collected does not provide accurate and precise input for power plant output calculations.

• METEONORM: METEONORM is Global Meteorological Database and provides comprehensive meteorological reference, incorporating climatic data obtained from IMD ground stations. In addition, they provide interpolation models and design software, and have over 23 years of experience in the field.

• 3TIER: 3TIER is a global weather resource assessment firm. Their data set is based on geostationary satellites and is high resolution (2.6 km) data obtained using patented Perez model for DNI estimation.