I was looking for information of Solar Energy and Solar panels and came across this site, Renewable Energy Atlas of the West . It is very good informative site and anyone who is interested should visit this site. There is an interactive energy map that allows user to plot western USA for SOLAR, BIOMASS and GEOTHERMAL, power production.
Purpose of the site as stated on the site is;
Utilizing state-of-the-art GIS technology, the Atlas brings together the best existing renewable resource maps and data into a single comprehensive, publicly available document and interactive Web site. It does not provide a new regional assessment of renewable resources, but rather shows the current understanding of these resources throughout the West and highlights the issues affecting their development. In addition, it identifies areas where new data are needed in order to more accurately represent the region's renewable energy resources.
While the maps contained in this Atlas do not eliminate the need for on-site resource measurement, they can help developers gain a better understanding of where the best renewable resource areas are found and screen out the less promising areas. This can significantly minimize the cost and time involved in prospecting. Landowners can use the information for a first-cut feasibility analysis of using renewable resources to supply electrical power to their homes, farms, ranches and businesses, while policymakers will find it a useful tool for broader planning purposes.
Here is their take on SOLAR;
Solar
Solar Maps - Data Sources
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2002
George, R., and E. Maxwell, 1999: "High-Resolution Maps of Solar Collector Performance Using Climatological Solar Radiation Model," Proceedings of the 1999 Annual Conference, American Solar Energy Society, Portland, ME.
Maxwell, E., R. George and S. Wilcox: "A Climatological Solar Radiation Model," Proceedings of the 1998 Annual Conference, American Solar Energy Society; Albuquerque, NM.
Marion, W. and S. Wilcox, 1994: "Solar Radiation Data Manual for Flat-plate and Concentrating Collectors." NREL/TP-463-5607, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401.
Details: This map provides annual average daily total solar resource information on grid cells of approximately 40 km by 40 km in size. The insolation values represent the resource available to a flat plate collector, such as a photovoltaic panel, oriented due south at an angle from horizontal equal to the latitude of the collector location. This is typical practice for PV system installation, although other orientations are also used.
The map was developed with data derived from the Climatological Solar Radiation (CSR) model. The CSR model was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the US Department of Energy. Specific information about this model can be found in Maxwell, George and Wilcox (1998) and George and Maxwell (1999). This model uses information on cloud cover, atmospheric water vapor and trace gases, and the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere, to calculate the monthly average daily total insolation (sun and sky) failing on a horizontal surface. The cloud cover data used as input to the CSR model are an 8-year histogram (1985-1992) of monthly average cloud fraction provided for grid cells of approximately 40 km x 40 km in size. Thus, the spatial resolution of the CSR model output is defined by this database. The data are obtained from the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, and were developed from the US Air Force Real Time Nephanalysis (RTNEPH) program. Atmospheric water vapor, trace gases, and aerosols are derived from a variety of sources, as summarized in the references. The procedures for converting the modeled global horizontal insolation into the insolation received by a flat plate collector at latitude tilt are described in Marion and Wilcox (1994).
Where possible, existing ground measurement stations are used to validate the model. Nevertheless, there is uncertainty associated with the meteorological input to the model, since some of the input parameters are not available at a 40 km resolution. As a result, it is believed that the modeled values are accurate to approximately 10% of a true measured value within the grid cell. Due to terrain effects and other microclimate influences, the local cloud cover can vary significantly even within a single grid cell. Furthermore, the uncertainty of the modeled estimates increases with distance from reliable measurement sources and with the complexity of the terrain.
After acquisition from NREL, Greenlnfo Network smoothed the data by interpolating a grid using the centroids of the 40 km cells as data points using a inverse distance weighted function. The annual average of the daily solar radiation were used, as described above. The raster resolution of the interpolated grid was 3 km. These data were then smoothed using an averaging filter to simplify data and improve map legibility.
Solar Generation Potential Estimates
These estimates represent a possible scenario of the energy that could be generated from distributed solar photovoltaic installations, as opposed to centralized power stations, based on simple assumptions limiting their maximum deployment:
1. Solar power producing systems can be installed on rooftops and open spaces representing 0.5% of the total area of each state.
2. Solar panels will occupy 30% of the area set aside for solar equipment, with the balance taken up by support structures, access paths and other equipment.
3. Solar energy can be converted to electricity at an average system efficiency of 10%. Although crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules have demonstrated efficiencies as high as 22.7% under laboratory conditions, commercially viable systems average much lower, particularly when total system efficiencies are considered. In addition, heat can have a major impact on panel efficiencies in a real world setting, typically leading to a derating of 10% or more in sunny environments. Reliance on other forms of solar electrical production, using concentrating photovoltaic collectors or solar thermal systems, would introduce a very different set of assumptions and results.
The results represent theoretical potentials, moderated by these simple constraints, and do not take economic realities into account. Market conditions, local environmental considerations, and future developments in solar technologies and other energy sources will ultimately determine the economic viability of solar penetration at these levels.
No comments:
Post a Comment