Goal:

Estimation and/or prediction of the available solar resources for CPV plants in a determined site.

Scope:

The scope ranges from all of the studies carried out by ISFOC. Meteorological staff is included, in case they need to install or monitor any measuring device, as well as Operation staff and Software Engineering staff.

Facilities:

1.-Data (from different origins):

In situ measurements registered by Weather Stations and/or measuring equipment

Solar Radiation Database arising from Projects/Programmes/National and International Measuring Campaigns.

Solar Radiation Software supported by registers coming from weather stations (national and international measuring networks) and or images from satellites, say, Meteonorm, PVSIST, SAM ...

2.-Calculation Software and Data Processing: R, MatLab, Excel....

3.-Weather station and/or Measuring Equipment; weather station or measure device allowing the observations by discrete pick-up in situ of the physical variables necessary for the Solar Resource estimation in an specific site.

Stages:

Stage 1.-Iniatial Requirements

Proposal and Contract for the Solar Resource Study

Stage 2.- Data collection

Compilation of every Meteorological and Solar Radiation data available for the Solar Resource estimation. Data can be facilitated by the customer (according to the Contract) or by ISFOC (according to the Contract).

If the acquisition and/or installation and/or monitoring of a weather station or any other measuring device is considered, its start-up, monitoring, or data Collection will be scheduled at this stage.

Stage 3.- Data quality assessment

Solar radiation data coming from the observations on the surface (such as weather stations and measuring equipment) should be subjected to a quality analysis to verify their use for the Solar Resource estimation in each case.

Stage 4.- Data Analysis

Solar Resource Estimation: it requires a numeric calculation, available data processing, and graphic representation of the results.