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Method for tuning photovoltaic power generation plant forecasting with the aid of a digital computer

  • US 10,409,925 B1
  • Filed: 11/14/2012
  • Issued: 09/10/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for tuning a photovoltaic power generation forecast with the aid of a digital computer, comprising the steps of:

  • regularly measuring over an observation period with an irradiance sensor a time series of solar irradiance values for a physical location at which a photovoltaic power generation plant comprised in a power grid is situated, the power grid further comprising a plurality of power generators other than the photovoltaic power generation plant, a transmission infrastructure, and a power distribution infrastructure for distributing power from the photovoltaic power generation plant and the power generators to consumers;

    regularly obtaining ambient temperature for the physical location; and

    centrally operating with a digital computer the photovoltaic power generation plant comprising the steps of;

    regularly providing to the computer the time series of solar irradiance values from the irradiance sensor and the ambient temperature;

    providing to the computer the photovoltaic array configuration of the photovoltaic power generation plant, and global horizontal irradiance, global horizontal irradiance clear sky indexes, wind speeds, cloud data, and alternating current outputs of the photovoltaic power generation plant as measured over the observation period for the physical location;

    simulating with the computer a time series of global horizontal irradiance over the observation period comprising each solar irradiance value as adjusted by the global horizontal irradiance clear sky index corresponding to the solar irradiance value;

    simulating with the computer plane-of-array irradiance observations from the simulated global horizontal irradiance and the photovoltaic array configuration for the physical location over a forecast period;

    identifying with the computer error between the measured and the simulated global horizontal irradiance over the observation period and developing an irradiance calibration function to minimize the identified error;

    regularly adjusting with the computer each simulated plane-of-array irradiance observation by the irradiance calibration function based on the global horizontal irradiance clear sky index corresponding to the simulated plane-of-array irradiance observation;

    simulating with the computer photovoltaic module temperatures for the photovoltaic generation plant over the forecast period based on the adjusted simulated plane-of-array irradiance observations and both the ambient temperatures and the wind speeds as measured over the observation period for the physical location;

    forecasting with the computer power generation by the photovoltaic power generation plant over the forecast period based on the adjusted simulated plane-of-array irradiance, the simulated photovoltaic module temperatures, and the photovoltaic array configuration;

    simulating with the computer power generation by the photovoltaic power generation plant over the observation period based on the adjusted simulated plane-of-array irradiance, the simulated photovoltaic module temperatures, and the photovoltaic array configuration;

    identifying with the computer error between the measured alternating current outputs and the simulated power generation at each simulated input power level over the observation period and developing a power conversion efficiency curve function to minimize the identified error, comprising;

    binning with the computer the measured alternating current outputs and the simulated power generation by simulated input power level; and

    forming the power conversion efficiency curve function with the computer by minimizing error between and evaluating with the computer a ratio of the measured alternating current outputs to the simulated power generation at each simulated input power level;

    quantifying with the computer average parasitic losses by the plant, comprising;

    summing total nighttime power consumption over the forecast period; and

    dividing the total nighttime power consumption by a total number of nighttime service hours; and

    regularly adjusting with the computer the simulated power generation at each simulated input power level by the conversion efficiency curve function and by a value of the average parasitic losses that corresponds to each simulated input power level, wherein an amount of the power requested from one or more of the power generators and distributed from the one or more power generators using the transmission infrastructure and the distribution infrastructure to one or more of the customers is based on the adjusted simulated power generation.

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