Uncertainty assessment of satellite-based solar radiation data in the southeastern Sonoran Desert.

Abstract

The development of solar energy projects requires accurate estimates of solar irradiance. These data are typically obtained over arbitrary locations using geo-stationary satellite imagery, satellite-to-irradiance models, and other input sources of modeled atmospheric data. This article presents the first uncertainty assessment of this type of modeled solar radiation data for the southeastern Sonoran Desert. The assessment is performed for the hourly time scale at a single site of high quality ground measurements over the period 2019-2022 (4 years of data). Modeltypical uncertainties are obtained, providing information for solar industry practitioners and research-oriented applications.