Weather and satellite model for estimating solar irradiance

• US 9,322,951 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Locus Energy, LLC (Also Energy Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Locus Energy, LLC (Also Energy Incorporated)
• Inventors: Herzig, Michael, Williams, Matthew, Kerrigan, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Alhija, Saif
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUU, CUONG V
• Application Number:
  US13/623,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2201/00 Prediction; Simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/12 Sunshine duration recorders measuring intensity of sunshine G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/22 The renewable source being solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Solar irradiance, the energy from the Sun'"'"'s electromagnetic radiation, has a wide range of applications from meteorology to agronomy to solar power. Solar irradiance is primarily determined by a location'"'"'s spatial relationship with the Sun and the atmospheric conditions that impact the transmission of the radiation. The spatial relationship between the Sun and a location on Earth is determined by established astronomical formulas. The impact of atmospheric conditions may be estimated via proxy using pixels from satellite imagery. While satellite-based irradiance estimation has proven effective, availability of the input data can be limited and the resolution is often incapable of capturing local weather phenomena. Brief qualitative descriptions of general atmospheric conditions are widely available from internet weather services at higher granularity than satellite imagery. This methodology provides logic for quantifying the impact of qualitative weather observations upon solar irradiance, and the integration of this methodology into solar irradiance estimation models.

Claims

1. A computer implemented weather based method of estimating solar irradiance, the method comprising:

accepting a text description of a weather condition for a given time in a computing system;

classifying by a computing system the text description of a weather condition for a given time into a classification string according to the text description of a weather condition for a given time by a computing system;

providing, in a computing system, a dummy variable representing the respective classification string match;

providing a coefficient for each dummy variable in a computing system;

accepting in a computing system a theoretical clear sky global horizontal irradiance, a coefficient for temperature, ambient temperature and a dew point;

subtracting the dew point from the ambient temperature to provide a Cloud Formation Level (CFL) value in a computing system;

providing a coefficient for the CFL;

determining an estimated global horizontal irradiance by a computing system to develop a solar irradiance estimation model for evaluating a solar resource dependent project, wherein the estimated global horizontal irradiance is the theoretical clear sky global horizontal irradiance multiplied by the total of the sum of the series of coefficients for respective dummy variables multiplied by the dummy variable representing the respective classification string match added to the coefficient for temperature multiplied by the ambient temperature added to the CFL multiplied by a coefficient for the CFL.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said dummy variable is either 0 or 1.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said dummy variable is 0 when the step of classifying by a computing system the text description into a classification string according to the text description of weather condition by a computing system is not a match.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said dummy variable is 1 when the step of classifying by a computing system the text description into a classification string according to the text description of weather condition by a computing system is a match.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the text description of a weather condition for a given time, ambient temperature and dew point are obtained from an internet weather feed.

6. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of weighting said coefficient for each dummy variable in a computing system.