Vaisala Global Solar Dataset 2019 Release

Introduction

Solar energy production is directly correlated to the amount of radiation received at a project location. Like all weather-driven renewable resources, solar radiation can vary rapidly over time and space, and understanding this variability is crucial in determining the financial viability of a solar energy project. 

The three components of irradiance most critical for determining solar installation production values are global horizontal irradiance (GHI), direct normal irradiance (DNI), and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DIF). In this paper we are focused on validating GHI, or the total amount of radiation received by a horizontal surface, which is the primary resource in photovoltaic (PV) installations.

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