Whether you are an architect, engineer, consultant, or contractor, there are several ways you can get data on solar energy. These include the National Solar Resource Data Base (NSRDB), the Global Solar Atlas, and commercial firms.
Commercial firms
Getting hold of quality solar property data is like snagging the best seat at the ballgame. There are plenty of data services out there, but only a few offer a multi-faceted approach to integrating information and generating actionable insights. With the right software and a little elbow grease, you can be in business in no time. For instance, PropertyRadar, which specializes in clean energy, provides a robust and granular database of data that is easy to search and analyze. Among their features is a mobile app that makes a great field sales software tool for solar installers.
For instance, they offer a list of solar-powered buildings that are worthy of your attention. Specifically, they track systems that generate enough electricity to power over 1.6 million US homes. The company also offers a free trial of their service, so you don’t have to pay for your shindig. For more information, visit their site. It is no secret that solar power is a growing industry, but identifying the best opportunities requires the right tools. With a comprehensive data platform, you can easily compare projects and make data-driven decisions.
Getting hold of the best solar data is only the beginning. The next step is integrating the resulting insights into your marketing and sales funnel. This involves several simple steps, but the reward is well worth the effort. A comprehensive data solution can also prove to be the linchpin for a successful marketing campaign. Getting the right data means winning new clients and closing the biggest deals. For instance, a recent survey found that 65% of commercial firms would be interested in switching to renewables if they were offered at a reasonable price.
National Solar Resource Data Base
During the past decade, the National Solar Resource Data Base (“NSRDB”) has expanded to include data from 1991 through 2010. It provides solar irradiance data for over 1,400 locations throughout the United States. It is used by building architects, solar planners, and renewable energy analysts. This database includes hourly solar irradiance data and meteorological data for stations in the NCEI Integrated Surface Database. It also includes data from NOAA for the Western Hemisphere.
The physical solar model used by the NSRDB is a product of the State University of New York’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center. The model has been tested against four ground-truth stations in Rajasthan, India. This data set is suitable for feasibility studies of solar energy projects. It is also used by the solar industry for system modeling.
Solar resource estimation is critical for the proper sizing of solar power plants and life-cycle cost analysis. Solar resource forecasting is a difficult task. It is difficult to obtain accurate data from numerical weather predictions. Satellite-derived data can give a good indication of incident energy, but it cannot provide accurate predictions of solar resources. Therefore, ground-based measurements are considered a more robust assessment of solar variability. However, reliance on a single data provider can increase uncertainty.
Several satellite-derived solar irradiance databases are available. The most common ones are based on Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), which are launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other satellites include Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2. Satellite-derived data provide information on cloud cover, surface and atmosphere temperatures, and the Earth-atmosphere system. However, satellite-derived irradiance data are not bankable, meaning that it is not available for financing.
The National Solar Resource Data Base has been updated to include satellite-derived physical solar model (“PSM”) data. This data set is provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (“NREL”), a division of the Department of Energy. This data set is available for download in ESRI Shapefile format. It is also available for viewing on the NSRDB Data Viewer. The latest version of the NSRDB is v3.0.1. This version of the database is available for download on the NSRDB Data Viewer.
The National Solar Resource Data Base provides hourly solar radiation data for the United States. This data is used extensively by the industry for system modeling. In addition, this data is used for site suitability analysis. Large solar projects may require 5 acres of land per megawatt of installed capacity. A slope of 5% is needed to minimize shading from trees and other obstructions.
The data set also includes historical data, which is an integral part of the system’s validation process. However, the lack of long-term measured solar radiation data is one of the key barriers to rapid SPP implementation in developing countries. For suit energy deployment, financial institutions may need to expand the data available for irradiance estimates. It is important to choose a data provider that has a long-term record of solar irradiance data.
Global Solar Atlas
Using the Global Solar Atlas you can calculate the long-term average of the diffuse and direct solar resources of any given location. The application also offers a simplified photovoltaic power calculator and a range of reporting tools, which can help you to make informed energy planning decisions.
The Global Solar Atlas is a free online map-based application that provides users with a global view of solar resource potential. It features an online PV power calculation tool and interactive map tools to help you locate the right location for your project. Global Solar Atlas also includes a series of GIS data layers to provide a comprehensive overview of solar resource potential across the globe.
The GIS data layers are calculated at 30 arc-sec (nominally 1 km) resolution and include information on possible PV system types, such as roof-top or ground-mounted solar systems. The map is also available in loss-lesslosslessat, which is roughly the size of a 1 to 4 MPix image. The maps can be used to perform advanced geospatial analysis using software such as ArcGIS or QGIS. The atlas also provides aseveralinformative graphic features, such as the Optimum Angle features and a solar resource map showing the location of a solar installation.
The Global Solar Atlas is part of the Global ESMAP Initiative, which is a collaboration between The World Bank and Intethe rnational Finance Corporation. It is designed to help governments, businesses, and other organizations to assess solar energy potential in their country or region. It has been praised by the Indian Minister of New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal.
The data used by the Global Solar Atlas is based on the Solargis solar resource database. Solargis data is based on state-of-the-art solar algorithms and a data-based history of solar resource parameters. The data layers are available in geographic coordinate system (EPSG:4326) and include information on possible PV system types, terrain albedo, and more. The data layers are also systematically updated to ensure that the information is as accurate as possible. The ESMAP website includes additional information.
Conclusion
The Global Solar Atlas has been updated to version 2.6, released in July 2021. The website includes a new content section and several new features. Among the new features is a PV power calculator that helps you calculate the PV output of a custom-defined PV system. The Global Solar Atlas website also includes a series of country GIS data layers, a solar resource map, and PV power potential maps. The PV power calculator uses a variety of methods to calculate the solar irradiance falling on a tilted PV module. It uses a diffuse irradiance model to calculate the irradiance for tilted surfaces, while e using an angular reflection losses model to calculate the irradiance falling on flat surfaces. It is based on up to 22 years of satellite data.
