Products
menu item
Prospect
Quick estimate of PV site's solar potential
menu item
Evaluate
Time Series & TMY data for energy modelling
menu item
Monitor
Real-time PV output assessment
menu item
Forecast
Solar power output forecast for up to 14 days
menu item
Analyst
Simplified & unified solar data management
menu item
Integrations
Automate delivery of Solargis data
Use cases
menu item
Site selection
Find the right solar project location
menu item
Energy yield simulation
Analyze potential gains and risks
menu item
Optimizing power plant design
Find optimum power plant design
menu item
Real power plant performance
Discover the true output
menu item
Power output forecast
Predict solar project energy output
menu item
Ground data verification
Verify quality of solar & meteo measurements
Solar Resource & Meteo Assessment
Detailed solar resource validation and assessment
Site Adaptation of Solargis Models
Combining satellite data with on-site measurements
Quality Control of Solar & Meteo Measurements
Correction of errors in ground-measured data
Customized GIS Data
Customized Solargis GIS data for your applications
PV Energy Yield Assessment
Estimated energy uncertainties and related data inputs
PV Performance Assessment
Energy estimate for refinancing or asset acquisition
PV Variability & Storage Optimization Study
Understand output variability across wide geo regions
Regional Solar Energy Potential Study
Identification of locations for solar power plants
Our expertise
How our technology works
Methodology
How we transform science into technology
API & integration
How to integrate Solargis data via API
Product guides & documentation
Release notes
Success stories
Blog
Ebooks & Whitepapers
Webinars
Publications
Events
Free Maps & GIS Data
Solar performance maps
About Solargis
Partners
ISO Certification
Careers
  • Ten-year analysis of resource variability across key global solar markets highlights significant deviations from long-term averages
  • As margins tighten for solar asset owners and investors, investment in high-quality data is crucial to understand impacts on performance and profitability

Slovakia, April 11th, 2022 - A ten-year analysis of solar irradiance released today by Solargis has illustrated the impacts of significant resource variability on several key global solar markets including India, Australia and North America. As margins tighten for solar asset owners and investors, investment in high-quality data is crucial to understanding - and managing - the impacts of this variability on performance and profitability.

Solargis’ 10-year Solar Performance Maps illustrate how solar irradiance levels have deviated from the long-term averages that are often used to underpin production estimates and financial models. Significant variation both above and below these averages has been witnessed across North America, India and Australia, highlighting the variability challenge presented by solar, a promising yet intermittent renewable energy source.

With solar performance coming under increased scrutiny because of changing global energy market conditions, investment in robust resource data throughout the lifetime of solar projects has become a prerequisite for asset owners and operators seeking to manage the financial impacts of this variability.

“We are seeing margins tighten on global solar projects, due to multiple factors like the phase out of tax credits and subsidies, price volatility and rising supply chain costs. High-quality solar data will help to better understand and address deviations from expected production, forecast short-term performance and ultimately support effective integration into modern digitised grids,” says Solargis CEO Marcel Suri.

“Through our work, we hope to highlight the variability challenge in key markets to best support policymakers, planners and consultants and encourage the adoption of high-quality, long-term data into renewable energy decision making.”

Key observations from the Solargis maps include:

India: Solargis’ irradiance maps indicate up to seven percent below average solar irradiation for the sub-continent over the last four years – reflecting the concerns of local asset managers about a decline in irradiance levels. This is particularly notable around highly developed areas where aerosols and cloud cover can impact resource availability. If this data isn’t considered by developers, it could result in solar farms underperforming, with wider implications for investor confidence in one of the world’s fastest growing solar markets.

Indian Variability Map 2012 2021

North America: Solargis’ maps indicate below-par irradiation in the North and Southeast when comparing the last ten years of averages vs long term trends. Its above average recordings in the northwest, particularly last year, reflect anomalies such as the recent heat dome which saw temperatures reach record highs of 49.6 Celsius.

Through harnessing a long term, data-driven approach to solar power generation that can flag anomalies with high accuracy, developers and asset owners in North America can better prepare their projects for variable weather conditions. This will be critical as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) phases out, impacting long-term revenue security.

North American Variability Map 2012 2021

Australia: As a country with great potential for solar power, the last five years of maps indicate significant irradiance variability across the continent when compared to long-term averages, reflective of extreme weather conditions which contributed to notable events like the “Black Summer” bushfire season of 2019-2020.

With the Solargis team seeking to understand phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña through their long-term solar data analysis, the future of solar integration on the continent depends on expert, reliable understanding of how investors and asset managers can prepare for and manage extreme weather events while integrating these future technologies into the grid as the nation transitions from fossil fuels.

Australian Variability Map 2012 2021

Of the findings, Suri concludes: “Controlling the weather is outside of our capabilities, but what solar developers, owners and operators can control is their knowledge. Vital, trusted intelligence on the solar resource, albedo, and specific geographical conditions at project sites can be the difference between an asset which retains its value throughout its lifecycle, and one which fails to live up to its potential.”

Keep reading

Precipitable Water (PWAT) - new data parameter
Solargis news

Precipitable Water (PWAT) - new data parameter

Precipitable water or ‘PWAT’ in short, is the depth of water in a column of the atmosphere if all the water in that column were precipitated as rain.

Training in Beijing: sharing our knowledge with chinese professionals and the public
Solargis news

Training in Beijing: sharing our knowledge with chinese professionals and the public

We shared our knowledge with professionals in the solar energy industry in China during Assessment of solar resource measurement technology exchange event.

Further European solar records to follow in 2020
Solargis news

Further European solar records to follow in 2020

High April solar resource levels in the UK and Germany drive new production records, while new capacity helps Spain hit record production despite below average resource in March