The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently completed a solar forecasting trial designed to help utilities understand the value that accurate solar prediction can bring to their energy market schedules and balancing operations. SolarAnywhere® FleetView®...
Troubleshooting ground measurements with satellite irradiance data We recently reported how the use of SolarAnywhere® Data made it possible for us to detect an unreported irradiance sensor calibration issue at one of the nation’s most trusted reference stations: the...
On August 21, 2017, the U.S. will experience a solar eclipse for the first time since May 2012. The eclipse will cause an obscuration of the sun’s light, resulting in a reduction of the energy from irradiance that will hit the Earth’s surface. As the eclipse crosses...
Utility processes and systems impacted by distributed PV In previous blog posts, we’ve looked at how the growth of distributed PV can impact grid operation at the system level. These blogs addressed how distributed PV can lead to the often referenced “duck curve,” and...
On March 30, 2017, the Minnesota Department of Commerce along with its core team, kicked off its Department of Energy-funded MN Solar Pathways project aimed at finding the least-risk, best-value solutions for MN to achieve its solar energy goals. Clean Power Research...
The importance and source of solar forecasting With an increasing number of installed utility-scale PV plants and a growing need for predictable energy generation, the solar industry has started paying attention to solar forecasting. The reasons behind this are: Solar...
How accurate are SolarAnywhere® irradiance data? They are accurate enough to identify an undetected calibration error at one of the nation’s most trusted ground truth stations. Figure 1 presents Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) and Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI)...
The challenge is well-known by commercial building owners and PV project developers: on site solar PV generation offers excellent energy savings to commercial customers, but can result in unreliable demand charge reduction benefits. Through a recent DOE funded...
Solar Prospector Sunsetting As many of you have heard, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will be sunsetting the Solar Prospector tool. The Solar Prospector tool was last updated in 2012 by NREL, and its purpose was to provide mapping and data analysis in...