A method for estimating an amount of solar generation capacity on a portion of the electrical grid such as a feeder. The method calculates maximum irradiance conditions for the feeder's geographic location and the time of year, and also records actual changes in electrical load measured periodically at a source over a time span such as a month. An additional analysis of active power against reactive power on the feeder is used to identify changes in load which were driven by real consumption versus those driven by changes in solar generation. A comparison of the actual changes in electrical load due to solar generation variation to the maximum irradiance curve yields a scaling factor and provides an estimate of the solar generation capacity on the feeder.

A device comprises a platform constructed and arranged to be mounted to one or more solar array modules and one or more solar irradiance sensors on the platform configured to receive incident solar energy, the one or more solar irradiance sensors oriented on the platform so that the received incident solar energy is comparable to that received by the solar array modules, the one or more solar irradiance sensors providing solar irradiance signals in response to the incident solar energy. A processor is on the platform, the processor configured to receive the solar irradiance signals and, in response, generating a performance reference metric based on the solar irradiance signals, the performance reference metric related to the expected performance of the one or more solar array modules to which the platform is mounted. A transmitter is on the platform, the transmitter configured to periodically transmit the performance reference metric to a receiver.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solar irradiation assessment system may automate several design parameters of solar panel design, cost and payoff estimations, and installation. The system determines the irradiance at various locations on a roof during various time periods. The system accounts for the effects of various existing, potential, or future obstacles proximate the structure. In some embodiments, a visual model of the roof may be shown with a heatmap of irradiance values and/or graphical placement of solar panels. In other embodiments, the data may be analyzed and reported without visual presentation.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are described herein to model divergent beam ray paths between locations on a roof (e.g., of a structure) and modeled locations of the sun at different times of the day and different days during a week, month, year, or another time period. Obstructed and unobstructed divergent beam ray paths are identified. Unobstructed divergent beam ray paths contribute to the calculation of a solar irradiance value for each location on the roof. Divergent beam ray paths, such as cones or pyramid ray paths, allow for sparse or lower-resolution spatial and/or temporal sampling without sacrificing obstacle detection.

The method of forecasting for solar-based power systems (10) recognizes that no single solar irradiance forecasting model provides the best forecasting prediction for every current weather trend at every time of the year. Instead, the method trains a classifier to select the best solar irradiance forecasting model for prevailing conditions through a machine learning approach. The resulting solar irradiance forecast predictions are then used to allocate the solar-based power systems (10) resources and modify demand when necessary in order to maintain a substantially constant voltage supply in the system (10).

A clothing item or wearable accessory for use with a system for calculating the exposure to sun radiation received on the different parts of the body by a person, including a wearable device (1) that communicates with a telecommunication mobile device (2) and a remote computing unit (3) operatively connected to satellites (4) to receive georeferenced data related to solar irradiation over time and set to associate the solar irradiance data to the geographical position, the posture and the orientation of the person (P) or of parts of the person's body.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solar irradiation assessment system may automate several design parameters of solar panel design, cost and payoff estimations, and installation. The system models a structure and surrounding obstacles in a three-dimensional space. The system maps ray paths between each of a plurality of locations on a roof of a structure and modeled locations of the sun at various time intervals during a selected time period to determine the solar irradiance at various locations. Obstacles modeled in three-dimensional space that block the ray-paths during some or all of the various time intervals result in decreased solar irradiance values for the affected locations on the roof. A visual model of the roof may be shown with a heatmap of irradiance values and/or a graphical placement of solar panels.

A method for estimating an amount of solar generation capacity on a portion of the electrical grid such as a feeder. The method calculates maximum irradiance conditions for the feeder's geographic location and the time of year, and also records actual changes in electrical load measured periodically at a source over a time span such as a month. An additional analysis of active power against reactive power on the feeder is used to identify changes in load which were driven by real consumption versus those driven by changes in solar generation. A comparison of the actual changes in electrical load due to solar generation variation to the maximum irradiance curve yields a scaling factor and provides an estimate of the solar generation capacity on the feeder.

A device comprises a platform constructed and arranged to be mounted to one or more solar array modules and one or more solar irradiance sensors on the platform configured to receive incident solar energy, the one or more solar irradiance sensors oriented on the platform so that the received incident solar energy is comparable to that received by the solar array modules, the one or more solar irradiance sensors providing solar irradiance signals in response to the incident solar energy. A processor is on the platform, the processor configured to receive the solar irradiance signals and, in response, generating a performance reference metric based on the solar irradiance signals, the performance reference metric related to the expected performance of the one or more solar array modules to which the platform is mounted. A transmitter is on the platform, the transmitter configured to periodically transmit the performance reference metric to a receiver.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solar irradiation assessment system may automate several design parameters of solar panel design, cost and payoff estimations, and installation. The system determines the irradiance at various locations on a roof during various time periods. The system accounts for the effects of various existing or potential or future obstacles proximate the structure (e.g., on the structure). In some embodiments, a visual model (e.g., two-dimensional or three-dimensional) of the roof may be shown with a heatmap of irradiance values and/or graphical placement of solar panels. In other embodiments, the data may be analyzed and reported without visual presentation.