DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR IRRADIATION

MAP THROUGH COMBINATION OF

SATELLITE MODELS AND GROUND
STATION MEASUREMENTS
EGYE 290 SPECIAL PROJECT

RENAN JOHN S CANAS

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SIGNIFICANCE

Philippines still relies most of its energy supply on non-renewable sources (fossil fuels) but the renewable
energy industry has seen a steady amount of growth. Through the R.A. 9513 The Renewable Energy act of
2008, the government is working on accelerating the development of renewable energy sources. Still most
of the electrical energy needs of the country's industry are derived from coal power plants. Solar power
comprises the 7.45% of the country’s renewable energy sources and 3.57% of the total installed capacity
for energy sources. [1]
For the development of solar PV projects, a solar resource assessment of the target area for installation is
needed. Quantification of the solar potential by means of a solar map is the first step in the acceleration
process for using more solar energy in urban environments. Solar maps provide data on available solar
irradiation on a certain area. To properly design a solar PV system, a detailed overview of the amount of
energy that can be produced in an area or building is needed. [6]
The lack of validated and accurate solar resource map would hinder development of Solar PV projects
specially in distributed solar energy generation systems like microgrids. Solar resource assessment for
microgrids incurs high amount of costs due additional instruments needed. PAGASA currently uses solar
radiation sensors in their automatic weather stations where the real time measurements are available online.
[9] These stations are commonly located in areas far from potential areas for microgrids due to the location
requirements for the weather stations.
Unvalidated data and lack of updated models for solar resource mapping would result to possible over- or
underestimation of capacity needed for a solar microgrid. Underestimation could cause failure of the solar
PV system while overestimation results to higher costs.
Philippines currently relies on foreign external sources for estimating the solar power resource capability
of the Philippines. Validation of the data from these sources requires actual ground measurements. [5,15]
PAGASA automatic weather stations can already measure solar radiation and other meteorological
parameters although those data are not integrated in a solar resource map for the Philippines and only used
for weather forecasting and climate recording. [9]
For this reason, a solar resource map with enhanced accuracy from the combination of reliable ground
measurements from automatic weather stations and satellite dataset is needed for optimal planning
installation and management of solar PV projects.
The proposed project will develop an accurate and updated solar resource assessment map of a location
based on models derived from the combination of satellite and ground measurements. The solar resource
map data will be sold solar power providers to be used for project planning of future solar PV installations
and effective power management of existing ones.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The project aims to develop an accurate and updated solar resource map for key areas in the Philippines
through the combination of existing satellite models and ground measurements. The specific objectives
include:
o To acquire global horizontal irradiation data based from ground measurements and satellite models
o To develop a system or application that will combine the solar irradiation data from satellite and
ground measurements.
o To develop an interactive visual representation of solar irradiation data from combined satellite and
ground station model.
o To make the solar resource data available to solar energy companies, to use in the development of
robust solar PV plants, and researchers on solar energy resource.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Satellite-Derived Models

The current solar resource map of the Philippines is based on satellite data acquired from external
sources. One source is the Global Atlas for Renewable energy derived from the SolarGIS data. The Global
Solar Atlas shows a fairly even distribution of solar irradiation across the country varying by 10%-20% in
any given month but varies substantially to 30%-50% during wet months of May to October and dry
months of November to May due to cloud coverage. [4]. The Atlas provides support for prospection and
preliminary assessment for a solar energy project, but high quality solar resource and meteorological data
are needed for the next stages. [11]

SolarGIS provides solar weather and solar electricity data for various countries in the world. Data provided
includes the mean bias deviation and mean absolute deviation for both the GHI and DNI. It indicates that
countries in humid tropical climate, which includes the Philippines, can have expected bias as high as 8%
for GHI and 12% for DNI. [12] The accuracy of the well-designed satellite-based models can be stable over
various geographies, but more ground-measuring campaigns are needed over vast regions. [13]

These satellite derived irradiation data are essential in determining solar energy potential of a certain
location but still they are subject for validation using ground measured data ideally close to the site. [15]

Various researches have been conducted to develop a reliable solar resource map of a certain region.

Ground-Based Models

A characterization and classification of solar irradiance from 12 locations in USA based on 4 years of
ground measurements shows the predictability of sky conditions between similar days appearing within
a year. Compared to the Philippines with high variability of clear sky conditions, the research performed
has stations located on similar conditions resulting to high correlation. [8]

Models that used artificial neural networks for solar resource assessment outperforms existing empirical
models in terms of speed and accuracy while also mitigating the need for expensive solar radiation
sensors. These models used only the meteorological data to estimate the available daily sum of sunshine
duration. However, ANN based models would require larger data for training validation and testing of the
neural network to make it more robust for large variations of weather patterns. [10]
The accuracy of solar radiation maps can also be increased even with the limitation of available weather
stations. This can be done through advanced case-based reasoning (A-CBR), finite element method and
kriging method. [7] While less expensive than performing actual measurements, the maximum accuracy
enhancement of this method was found to only 0.73%. This method could only help determine optimal
locations for installation of the PV systems.

Satellite data for solar irradiation is a reliable source for initial assessment of solar resource potential and
the use of ground measurements can enhance the accuracy of these data sets. Ground measurements are
also required to validate measured solar irradiation from satellite models. Through deployment of several
measuring stations in South Africa, the uncertainty of the SolarGIS model was reduced by 3% for GHI and
1% for DNI. [14]

An improvement of global solar radiation estimation can be achieved by combining satellite-derived data
with ground station models. [3] determined that a satellite-based dataset from MCC database combined
with Angstrom model or Nearby Station model for ground measurements can be more accurate than
using Artificial neural networks models. When the sunshine duration of a site is determined the angstrom
model with satellite database becomes superior.

Combining ground measurements with satellite models can enhance the accuracy and speed of estimation
of solar energy resource over a certain area. Accurate solar resource data can be used in initial stages of
a solar energy project in determining the solar energy potential of a project site. For the operation
optimization of a solar energy project, updated and accurate data will also be needed. This would reduce
the impact of the variability of the solar energy resource by implementing power management designs
derived from data acquired from an updated and accurate solar resource map.

METHODOLOGY

Data Collection Solar Resource Model Validation

Modelling

• Acquisition of • Ground based • Field

satellite data modelling measurements
from Global • Satellite model • Data
Solar Atlas • Ground + Processing
• Acqusition of Satellite Model
solar radiation Combination
data from
PAGASA MDSI
The methodology used to accomplish the project objectives are divided into 3 stages.

Data Collection
Data from the satellite models are acquired from the Global Solar Atlas while the data for the ground
measurements are collected in coordination with PAGASA MDSI. The average daily irradiation data are
collected every month from the measurements of the automatic weather stations. The locations of the
automatic weather stations will be marked on the solar resource map from the Global Solar Atlas.

Solar
Atlas Data

Solar
Irradiation
Map
PAGASA
MDSI
Data

Solar Resource Modelling

The ground-based model is derived from the measurement data collected from PAGASA MDSI. Nearby-
station method will be initially used to estimate the solar irradiation for the area specified. The nearby-
station model assumes that the predicted GHI value in a region is equal to the measured GHI of the nearest
station [3]. The satellite model for irradiation data will be processed to produce numerical values of solar
irradiation for the area.
Meyer Combination will be used to combine the satellite and ground-based model to produce a final output
model for the solar irradiation. [3]

Where GHIi is the solar radiation value given by a database ‘i’.

σi is the uncertainty of the solar radiation database

Using this method requires that the uncertainty of the dataset be less than 10%. The root-mean-square error
% will be used as uncertainty of the datasets to be used. This parameter will also determine the accuracy of
the output model.

Model Validation
The data from the output model of the system will be validated using actual measurements from the area.
A random area is selected based on the following criteria.
 Location is always exposed to sunlight throughout the day. (There should be no shade on the area
measured)
  The area is within 10 km of the nearest automatic weather stations.
Measurements in the area selected will be performed simultaneously with the collection of data from the
PAGASA MDSI. The validation process will use a pyranometer to accurately measure the GHI for the
location. The results will determine the accuracy of the solar resource model and the necessary adjustments
to be performed for an increase in accuracy.
After 1 month of data collection the data from the output model will be validated using the field
measurements data.

The resulting solar resource model will be displayed through a web based geographic information system
showing the solar irradiation in the specified location in a map-like user interface.
 Workplan

Program Title: Development of Solar Resource Map Through Combination of Satellite Models and Ground Station Measurements for Distributed Renewable Energy Generation.

Y1 Y2

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Expected Output Activities or Workplan M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3 M1 M2 M3

Initial Coordination, Requirements and Design

 Project Coordination
Project Charter
Meeting

Preliminary report of areas for  Initial Report of locations

initial solar resource for the Solar Resource
assessment assessment

 Meeting with PAGASA for

Partnership with PAGASA for
coordination with the solar
the data from their MDSI
radiation data from MDSI

 Draft of software
Software application flowchart
application development
and design specifications
process 

 Draft of web-based GUI

Web-based GUI design
application

 Identification of computer
Equipment table of specifications for the system
specifications and application for modelling
of the solar resource map

 Assessment of capital
Detailed budget plan
outlay and budget plan

Installed hardware and
software resources to be
ready for the system
Project Execution
Software application for the
solar resource modelling
Dataset for ground
measurements
Web-based GUI to display
solar resource map as a
geographic information
system (GIS)
Project Operation and Maintenance
Initial solar resource model
 Procurement and
installation of needed software
and hardware resources
o Procurement of computer
and server equipment for the
system.
o Procurement of solar
radiation sensors to be used
for the model validation
o Procurement of software
development tools
 Development and testing
of software application for
ground based solar resource
modelling and combination
algorithm for satellite and
ground models
 Collection of initial data
for ground measurements
 Development of web-
based application for solar
resource map
 Solar resource modelling
using developed software
  Model validation through
random measurement 

Web-based GIS with updated  Periodic update of web-

resource model data. based application

Accurate solar radiation  Calibration of solar

sensors for valid radiation instruments for
measurements validation
LITERATURE CITED

[1] Department of Energy: Electric Power Industry Management Bureau. (2016). 2016 Philippine Power Situation
Report.

[2] DOE Office of Indian Energy. (2015). The Five-Step Process Framework for Project Development

[3] I. Loghmari and Y. Timoumi, (2017). "Improvement global solar radiation estimation," in IET Renewable Power
Generation, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 996-1004, 7 6 2017.

[4] IRENA (2017), Renewables Readiness Assessment: The Philippines, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu
Dhabi.

[5] IRENA (2014). The Philippines: Solar, Wind and Bioenergy Resource Assessment. International Renewable Energy
Agency, Abu Dhabi.

[6] Kanters, J., Wall, M., Kjellsson, E., 2014. The solar map as a knowledge base for solar energy use. Energy Proc. 48,
1597–1606

[7] Koo, C., Hong, T., Jeong, K., & Kim, J. (2018). “Development of the monthly average daily solar radiation map
using A-CBR, FEM, and kriging method”. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 24(2),
489–512.

[8] I. Koumparou, A. Phinikarides, G. Makrides and G. E. Georghiou (2016). "Characterisation and mapping of daily
sky conditions based on ground measurements of solar irradiance in mainland USA," 2016 IEEE 43rd
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), Portland, OR, 2016, pp. 0986-0991.

[9] PAGASA Met-Hydro Decision Support Infosys, (2015). PAGASA DOST ETSD – ICT. https://v2-
cloud.meteopilipinas.gov.ph/home.

[10] R. M. C. Santiago, A. A. Bandala and E. P. Dadios, (2017). "Artificial neural network model for solar resource
assessment: An application to efficient design of photovoltaic system," TENCON 2017 - 2017 IEEE Region
10 Conference, Penang, 2017, pp. 2672-2676

[11] SolarGIS, (2016). “Data description”. Retrieved from https://globalsolaratlas.info/about/data-description.

[12] SolarGIS (2016). “Solargis Solar Resource Database: Description and Accuracy”. Bratislava, Slovak Republic. 13
October 2016.

[13] Suri, M., Cebecauer, T., (2014). Satellite-based Solar Resource data: Model validation statistics versus user’s
uncertainty. In: Proceedings of: Proc. of: ASES SOLAR 2014 Conference, San Francisco, 7–9 July 2014.

[14] Suri, M., Cebecauer, T., Meyer, A.J. & van Niekerk, J.L. (2015), “Accuracy-enhanced solar resource maps of
South Africa”, Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13
May, 2015..

[15] Vendrell, Iban. (2015). “Philippine Solar Resource Characterization, challenges and implications for the sector”
presented at Asia Solar Energy Forum (ASEF), 15 June 2015.