pvlib python: 2023 project update

Journal Article · 21 December 2023 · Journal of Open Source Software

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.05994 · OSTI ID:2311276

Anderson, Kevin Scott  ^[1]; Hansen, Clifford W.  ^[1]; Holmgren, William F.  ^[2]; Jensen, Adam R.  ^[3]; Mikofski, Mark A.  ^[2]; Driesse, Anton  ^[4]

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1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
2. DNV, Oslo (Norway)
3. Technical Univ. of Denmark (Denmark)
4. PV Performance Labs., Freiburg (Germany)

pvlib python is a community-developed, open-source software toolbox for simulating the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy components and systems. It provides reference implementations of over 100 empirical and physics-based models from the peer-reviewed scientific literature, including solar position algorithms, irradiance models, thermal models, and PV electrical models. In addition to individual low-level model implementations, pvlib python provides high-level workflows that chain these models together like building blocks to form complete “weather-to-power” photovoltaic system models. It also provides functions to fetch and import a wide variety of weather datasets useful for PV modeling. pvlib python has been developed since 2013 and follows modern best practices for open-source python software, with comprehensive automated testing, standards-based packaging, and semantic versioning. Its source code is developed openly on GitHub and releases are distributed via the Python Package Index (PyPI) and the conda-forge repository. pvlib python’s source code is made freely available under the permissive BSD-3 license. Here we (the project’s core developers) present an update on pvlib python, describing capability and community development since our 2018 publication (Holmgren, Hansen, & Mikofski, 2018).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• Grant/Contract Number: NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 2311276
• Report Number(s): SAND--2024-15013J
• Journal Information: Journal of Open Source Software, Journal Name: Journal of Open Source Software Journal Issue: 92 Vol. 8; ISSN 2475-9066
• Publisher: Open Source Initiative - NumFOCUSCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English