Assessment and forecasting of solar resourceapplications to the solar energy industry

Abstract

In this thesis a study of the assessment and forecasting of the solar resource for its application in the solar industry is carried out. The main objective is to improve the knowledge about various aspects of solar radiation as primary energy source. . However, despite the relentless technological development and the considerable cost reductions, its degree of introduction at large-scale into power systems is still far from its real potential. This is due mainly to the fact that, although solar radiation is the most abundant primary energy source in the planet, it naturally presents a great spatial and temporal variability. This characteristic constitutes the major source of uncertainty in the development of solar projects, both in the initial phase of feasibility study and during the phase of operation. In order to contribute to the reduction of this uncertainty, the research work carried out in this thesis has developed and evaluated methods for the characterization and estimation of surface solar irradiance, both components: global (GHI) and direct (DNI).