China’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality is an important step forward with the successful collaboration between the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP/CAS), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and the National Satellite Meteorological Center (MSMC) of the China Meteorological Administration. Together, they have made significant progress in solar resource assessment, a critical element for using photovoltaic (PV) energy efficiently.
Using data from the Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager aboard the Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) satellite, a random forest model, and a physical model chain that converts irradiance into PV power, the team created a detailed PV resource map, shedding new light on China’s solar energy potential.
FY-4A, the first of the latest generation of Chinese geostationary satellites, significantly improves solar resourcing and forecasting with its high-resolution capabilities. Gao Ling from NSMC explained that the satellite’s wider field-of-view has improved the reliability of China’s current solar radiation product compared to using measurements from the Himawari or Meteosat satellites, especially towards the edge of the satellite disk.
Prof. Xia Xiang’ao, the corresponding author from IAP/CAS, explains that their work goes beyond the conventional global horizontal irradiance (GHI) method used in most studies; the team’s research expands the effective irradiance, an important factor for accurate solar resource assessment for PV applications.
This extension, from irradiance resourcing to PV resourcing, is believed to be a defining characteristic of the latest energy-meteorology-style solar resource assessment, said HIT professor Yang Dazhi, the paper’s co-corresponding author.
In fact, what sets this research apart is the integration of a more advanced workflow known as the physical model chain. By using an array of cascade energy meteorology models, the team achieved remarkably accurate estimates of in-plane irradiance. This new approach has profound implications for future solar resource exploration.
The solar PV resource map resulting from this collaborative research will be of great value to stakeholders involved in designing, planning, and operating solar energy systems. Comprehensive insights into China’s solar energy landscape empower decision makers to make informed choices for a sustainable and green energy future.
The results of the research are published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The first author of the paper is Dr. Shi Hongrong from IAP/CAS.
As China moves towards carbon neutrality, the successful combination of advanced technology and pioneering research embodied in the FY-4A satellite and AI model set a new standard for solar resource mapping, encouraging positive change in the global search for renewable energy.
More information:
Hongrong Shi et al, First estimation of high-resolution solar photovoltaic resource map in China with Fengyun-4A satellite and machine learning, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113549
Awarded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Citation: Fengyun-4A satellite and machine learning model advance solar photovoltaic resource mapping in China (2023, July 24) retrieved 24 July 2023 from https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-fengyun-4a-satellite-machine-advance-solar.html
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