1. Solar Irradiance Data Sources and Analysis Software Renewable Energy Course EEM-405 Institute of Business Management Karachi Syed Akhtar Ali-Visiting Professor CEO-PROPLAN proplanassociates@gmail.com

2. NASA SSE Archive of over 200 satellite-derived meteorology and solar energy parameters, globally available at a resolution of 1x1. NASA SSEFOCUS SOLAR Focus solar Satellite-based service with worldwide solar radiation calculated from MSG, GOES, and MTSAT images by the Heliosat 3 method. Data are available from 2005 onwards, including near real-time data at a resolution of 1 km. Focus solar 3. HelioClim-1 Solar radiation calculated from Meteosat images by the Heliosat 2 method. Coverage: field of view of Meteosat satellite (Europe& Africa). Available through SoDa portal. HelioClim-1 The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Project Atmospheric analyses using historical data and analyses of the current atmospheric state. Coverage: the entire world, with a grid cell of approx. 2 in size. Available also through SoDa portal. NCEP/NCAR 4. World Radiation Data Centre Solar radiation and radiation balance data (the world network). See also Voeikov Main Geophysical Observatory. Worldwide solar radiation database. World Radiation Data Centre NREL/USA US dynamic solar atlas; on grid cells of ~ 40 km by 40 km provides monthly averages of daily total solar resource available to flat plate photovoltaic modules and concentrators. NREL 5. Canada Natural Resources Canada Photovoltaic (PV) potential and insolation web-based maps from interpolated measurements Canada Natural ressources 6. Data Sources Australia Bureau of Meteorology runs a computer model which produces estimates of the daily total of solar radiation from the MTSAT-1R geostationary satellite. Australia Bureau of Meteorology Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) Data and assessment tools for energy market development in developing countries (UNEP/GEF) SOLEMI Satellite-based service for high-resolution solar radiation for Europe, Africa and Asia (DLR, Germany) 7. Meteonorm Data developed from ground measurements by interpolation for solar energy and applied meteorology. Partly available through SoDa portal. Meteonorm SolarGIS Hih resolution solar radiation database developed from Meteosat MSG data. Available for Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia through the SolarGIS web portal. 8. PVGIS solar data (EU) PVGIS provide a large and accurate solar irradiation free database for europe, Africa Mediterranean Basin and South-West Asia. PVgis RETScreen (CAN) Restscreen is a free software that includes worlwide solar irradiation database. RETScreen 9. DatabaseRegionValuesMeteonorm WorldwideMonthlyMeteonorm worldwideHourlySatellightEuropeHourlyUS TMY2USAHourlySwitzerlan ISM-EMPA d Helioclim (SoDa)Europe AfricaNASA-SSE WorldwideHourlySourcePeriodVariables1960-1991 1700 Terr. Averages Gh, Ta Stations 1995-2005 Wind Interpolatio (V 6.0) Others ns Averages Synthetic Gh, Dh, Ta idem generation WindVel Meteosat Any pixel Gh 1996-2000 of about No Ta 5x7 km2 NREL, 239 1960-1990 Gh, Dh, Ta, stations samples WindVel TMYAvailabilityPVsyst importSoftwareDirect by file (300 stations in PVsyst DB)SoftwareDirect by fileWeb freeDirect by fileWeb freeIncluded in database22 stations 1981-1990 Gh, Dh, Ta, Included in DRY samples WindVel PVsystHourlyMeteosatFrom 02/2004MonthlySatellites 1x1 cells (111x111 km2)1983-1993 averagesGh No TaGh, TaIncludded in databaseWebrestric Direct by ted copy/paste 2005 freeWeb freeDirect 10. WRDCWorldwideHourly Daily MonthlyEuropePVGISESRAMonthlyEurope AfricaRETScreen WorldwideSolarGISEurope Africa, Asia Brazil, WestEurope : 566 stations interp. 1x1 km21964-1993 each1981-1990 averagesAfrica : Meteosat 1985-2004 (Helioclim-1 database)AfricaHelioclim -1 (SoDa)1195 stationsGh No TaWeb freeDirect by copy/pasteGh, Ta Linke turbidityWeb freeDirect by copy/pasteDirect by copy/pasteMonthlyMeteosat 50x50 km21985-2005 each yearGh No TaWeb Restricted 1985-89 freeMonthlyCompil. 20 sources Incl. WRDC - NASA1961-1990 averagesGh, Ta WindVelSoftware, freeDirect by copy/pasteHourlyMeteosat Approx. 4x5 km2From 1994 (1999)Gh, Dh, TaWeb, paid accessDirect 11. Solar PV softwareSOLAR PV SOFTWARE 12. Software Archelios PRO (FR) This PV software permits to evaluate solar radiation of a site, to design a photovoltaic system and calculate the energy produced and the profitability. A free version is available without databases. Archelios POLYSUN (CH) SPF - Velasolaris, sizing and simulation of photovoltaic systems. Polysun PVcad (GE) Software that allows to design PV facades. The current version runs under Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4 (no more released). PVcad 13. PV-Design-PRO (GE) PV-DesignPro v6.0 is Windows compatible software designed to simulate photovoltaic energy system operation on an hourly basis for one year, based on a user selected climate and system design. Three versions of the PV-DesignPro program are included on the Solar Design Studio CD-ROM: "PV-DesignPro-S" for standalone systems with battery storage, "PVDesignPro-G" for grid-connected systems with no battery storage, and "PV-DesignPro-P" for water pumping systems. Pv-Design-PRO HELIOS 3D Solarparkplanung HELIOS 3D is a professionnal planning tools for utility scale PV plants. It allows shadow free placement of PV racks on a digital terrain at any geographical position and at any given date or time. The workflow supports all phases of the project process : Project Development : Analysis and evaluation of the terrain, rate of yield Project Layout : Structuring of the terrain, positioning of PV racks, optimize positioning for maximum yield Project Engineering : Electric layout, Bill ofmaterial, 14. HOMER (USA) HOMER is a computer model that simplifies the task of evaluating design options for both off-grid and grid-connected power systems for remote, stand-alone, and distributed generation (DG) applications. HOMER's optimization and sensitivity analysis algorithms allow the user to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of a large number of technology options and to account for uncertainty in technology costs, energy resource availability, and other variables 15. INSEL The INSEL toolbox Solar Electricity provides parameters for the simulation of all market-available PV modules and inverters. INSEL PV Designer Solmetric PV Designer software enables you to quickly and easily: draw a roof outline, specify set-backs and keep-out regions, incorporate SunEye shade measurements at specific locations on the roof, drag-anddrop modules, size strings, check inverter limits, and calculate the AC energy production for your system.It includes extensive worldwide databases of modules, inverters, and historical weather. You can easily try different design scenarios and compare their AC kWhr outputs side-by-side to identify the best design. Results can be exported in a PDF format and printed or emailed to clients. The software is designed for residential and small commercial systems. Solmetric 16. PV F-CHART (USA) PV F-CHART is a comprehensive photovoltaic system analysis and design program. The program provides monthly-average performance estimates for each hour of the day. The calculations are based upon methods developed at the University of Wisconsin which use solar radiation utilizability to account for statistical variation of radiation and the load. PV F-Chart PVoptimize PVOptimize is a new software product developed by KGA Associates, LLC. It is a software modeling tool that helps solar photovoltaic (PV) sales and installation companies design optimal PV systems for their customers. It is useful to anyone who needs to predict and analyze solar PV output, the affect of shading on PV ouput and the affect of "time of use" rate schedules on optimal system size. It is also a useful tool for analyzing utility rate structures and their effect on solar installations. 17. Software Kerychip (DK) Photovoltaic sizing software programs for grid connected and stand alone systems. Available in demo versions. PVscout 2.0 Premium PVscout is a PV-sizing software for the planning and calculation of gridconnected photovoltaic systems irrespective of manufacturer.Features: - graphical representation and dynamic interconnection of several roofs. - full range of data irrespective of manufacturer - solar irradiation data based on high-resolution mean minute values - calculations of economic efficiency - Individually compiled presentation of technical details, order, quotation, electrical circuit diagram, DC connection drawing, solar yield and economic efficiency 18. PVSYST (CH) One of the oldest photovoltaic software, developed by the University of Geneva. PVSYST is designed to be used by architects, engineer and researchers, and it is also a very useful pedagogical tool. Main features : - Full design of remote PV systems - Full design of PV systems connected to the grid - Complet database of PV panels, inverters, meteorological data - Useful 3D application to simulate near shadings - Import of irradiation data from PVGIS, NASA databases - Import of PV modules data from PHOTON INTERNATIONAL - Economic evaluation and payback PVsyst is able to import meteo data from many different sources, as well as personal data. PVsyst provides results in the form of a full report, specific graphs and tables, as well as data export for use in other software. 19. PLAN4SOLAR PV The all in one solution for simple and speedy planning and calculation of PV systems, which leaves no wish unfulfilled. Complete PV system planning. Comprehensive assembly and connection plan, and all relevant calculations such as inverter design, revenue forecast, profitability calculations taking into account personal use and determining the most appropriate assembly system based on the wind and snow loads calculations in accordance with DIN 1055 and Eurocode 1 or comparable provisions at a country-specific level, and much more. 20. SMA Off-Grid Configurator Designing plants and dimensioning off-grid PV systems. Whether it's for a small-scale plant or a large-scale hybrid plant, the new SMA Off-Grid Configurator from SMA provides you with a professional and customized solution for the simulation and dimensioning of your off-grid system. Every design aspect is mapped out, from dimensioning the PV plant, the battery and the inverter to calculating profitability and calculating the battery life. 21. SOLARPRO The software calculates the amount of generated electricity based on the latitudes, longitudes, and the weather conditions of the installation site. This leads precise simulation results. Simulation including the shadow influence by surrounding buildings and objects allows users to check optimal settings and module designs before system installation. The software calculates also the I-V curve of solar modules accurately and quickly based on the electric characteristics of each manufacture's product. Solarpro 22. SOLERGO (IT) This italian software developed by Electro Graphics Srl is a full tools to compute the solar PV output of a solar photovoltaic system connected to the grid. Main features : - Global and full system definition - Shading (close and remote) - Photovoltaic generator - Inverter configuration - Database (inverter, irradiation, pv modules) - PV system layout - Analysis of consumption - Cable sizing calculation - Electrical diagram - Payback - Polluting emissions - Economic report A real advantage of this software is its Interoperability with Ampre Professional an Electrical network calculator to analyze the electrical network of the PV generator (cables, SPD, protection, inverter).It also Interface with software CADelet, Eplus or iDEA, for the full drawing of the system and its construction details. 23. SKELION Skelion, is a Sketchup's plugin to insert solar photovoltaics and thermal components in a surface. Skelion plugin gives Sketchup the possibility to insert solar panels very fast and make fast renewable solar energy studies. Includes shadows projection and MAC OS and Windows compatible. Skelion for SketchUp allows you to : Insert 3D models of the solar installation Export energy reports automatically from PVWatts (in USA) or PVGis (in EU) Use the PV Modules data base or add your own model Control the shading angles for any hour of the year Load the current location from Google Earth Exists in version free and pro version (200 USD) 24. FREE PHOTOVOLTAIC SOFTWARE 25. HYBRID2 (USA) The Hybrid2 software package is a user friendly tool to perform detailed long term performance and economic analysis on a wide variety of hybrid power systems. Hybrid2 is a probabilistic/time series computer model, using time series data for Loads, Wind speed, Solar insolation, Temperature and the power system designed or selected by the user, to predict the performance of the hybrid power system. Variations in wind speed and in load within each time step are factored into the preformance predictions. The code does not consider short term system fluctuations caused by system dynamics or component 26. RETScreen (CAN) RETScreen 4 is an Excel-based clean energy project analysis software tool that helps decision makers quickly and inexpensively determine the technical and financial viability of potential renewable energy, energy efficiency and cogeneration projects. 27. SKELION Skelion, is a Sketchup's plugin to insert solar photovoltaics and thermal components in Skelion plugin gives Sketchup the possibility to insert solar panels very fast and make fast renewable solar energy studies. Includes shadows projection and MAC OS and Windows compatible. Skelion for SketchUp allows you to : Insert 3D models of the solar installation Use the PV Modules data base or add your own model Load the current location from Google Earth Exists in pro version (133 USD) with more options. 28. Solar Analysis Module_SAM SAM makes performance predictions and cost of energy estimates for grid-connected power projects based on installation and operating costs and system design parameters that you specify as inputs to the model. Projects can be either on the customer side of the utility meter, buying and selling electricity at retail rates, or on the utility side of the meter, selling electricity at a price negotiated through a power purchase agreement (PPA). 29. SAM_Features SAM can automatically download data and populate input variable values from the following online databases: DSIRE for U.S. incentives. OpenEI Utility Rate Database for retail electricity rate structures for U.S. utilities NREL Solar Prospector for solar resource data and ambient weather conditions. NREL Wind Integration Datasets for wind resource data. NREL Biofuels Atlas and DOE Billion Ton Update for biomass resource data. NREL Geothermal Resource database for temperature and depth data. provides 30. Photovoltaic systems (flat-plate and concentrating) Parabolic trough concentrating solar power Power tower concentrating solar power (molten salt and direct steam) Linear Fresnel concentrating solar power Dish-Stirling concentrating solar power Conventional thermal Solar water heating for residential or commercial buildings Large and small wind power Geothermal power and geothermal co-production Biomass power 31. SAM_contd SAM's performance models make hour-by-hour calculations of a power system's electric output, generating a set of 8,760 hourly values that represent the system's electricity production over a single year. You can explore the system's performance characteristics in detail by viewing tables and graphs of the hourly and monthly performance data, or use performance metrics such as the system's total annual output and capacity factor for more general performance evaluations. 32. SAM includes financial models for the following kinds of projects: Residential (retail electricity rates) Commercial (retail rates or power purchase agreement) Utility-scale (power purchase agreement): Single owner Leveraged partnership flip All equity partnership flip Sale leaseback 33. SAM_Analysis Options Parametric Analysis: Assign multiple values to input variables to create graphs and tables showing the value of output metrics for each value of the input variable. Useful for optimization and exploring relationships between input variables and results. Sensitivity Analysis: Create tornado graphs by specifying a range of values for input variables as a percentage. Statistical: Create histograms showing the sensitivity of output metrics to variations in input values. P50/P90: For locations with weather data available for many years, calculate the probability that the system's total annual output will exceed a certain value 34. Online PV Software PV-calculator.ch www.sma.de PvWatt 35. Smart Phone Software Simple operation: Works by positioning and tilting your smartphone as if it were a photovoltaic module. It estimates the annual amount of solar radiation and automatically provides instant calculations. Precise locating: Tells the GPS coordinates of your position, the azimuth angle (compared to the south) and the tilt angle of the installation and performs its calculations extracting data from a database of solar radiation. Global weather data: Contains weather data for thousands of locations around the globe. For example, DUNMORE SunFinder can provide users with weather profiles for 240 specific locations in the USA. Reporting: Automatically compiles data position coordinates, azimuth, tilt, reference data points, yearly solar radiation, and yearly average PV production in e-mails for fast and easy (example Dunmore-all other softwares have similar output) 36. Solar PV Apps (contd) 'SunFinder' App - Dunmore Corporation www.dunmore.com/pdf/sunfinder-web.pdf PV Estimation App - onyxsolar.com www.onyxsolar.com/ Sunny Portal - Android Apps on Google Play Onyx Solar App Fronius Solar.web App 37. Conversions To Convert FromIntoMultiply Bywatt-hours per square meterjoules per square meter3600.0watt-hours per square meterBtu's per square foot0.3172watt-hours per square meterLangleys0.0860watt-hours per square metercalories per square centimeter 0.0860degree Centigradedegree FahrenheitC X 1.8 + 32metersinches39.37metersfeet3.281metersyards1.094metersmiles (statute)0.0006214 38. References http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/ version1/International/inputv1_intl.cgi?siteid=419 920 http://irsolav.com/index.php?option=com_contact &view=contact&id=2&Itemid=60&lang=en http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/cgibin/sse/register.cgi http://www.energymatters.com.au/climatedata/solar-water-pumpingcalculator.php?main_page=pumping_calc