Solar irradiance monitoring network design using the variance quadtree algorithm

Abstract

Our aim is to determine the optimal placement of solar irradiance monitoring stations for renewable energy integration into electricity grids. Hourly SUNY satellite-derived irradiance over a rectangular grid of 34° to 44° N, 100° to 110° W with a 0.1° resolution are used in this work. The variance quadtree algorithm is used to identify the regions with high spatio-temporal variations. The densities of monitoring stations over different regions therefore follow the empirical variation. The network design is compared to the results from the so-called “L-method”. A discussion based on the network’s predictive performance is also presented. We show that the unique design solution obtained using the L-method cannot capture the spatio-temporal variations embedded in irradiance random fields. A robust design should consider both the design requirements and functionalities of the monitoring network.