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Title: Evaluating the Accuracy of Various Irradiance Models in Detecting Soiling of Irradiance Sensors: Preprint

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1571897
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3]
  1. Envision Digital
  2. UC Merced
  3. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

We evaluate the feasibility of using various clear-sky models or purchased satellite data for estimating the soiling of a reference cell irradiance sensor. We find results to be more accurate for models that consider local meteorological conditions. We conclude that given the data sets considered, and depending on the requirements of the data analyst, choosing to use purchased satellite irradiance data from Solargis to estimate the soiling of a reference cell sensor tends to yield more accurate results, although there are instances where a clear-sky model performs better. The SOLIS clear-sky model in PVLIB with variable Pwat provided useful soiling results, implying that the general method of using a clear-sky model with local meteorological data may provide a low-cost tool for detecting soiling of irradiance sensors. irradiance data from Solargis to estimate the soiling of a reference cell sensor tends to yield more accurate results, although there are instances where a clear-sky model performs better. The SOLIS clear-sky model in PVLIB with variable Pwat provided useful soiling results, implying that the general method of using a clear-sky model with local meteorological data may provide a low-cost tool for detecting soiling of irradiance sensors.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1571897
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-5K00-75156
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at the 46th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC 46), 16-21 June 2019, Chicago, Illinois
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English