the evidence for climate change is now incontrovertible
Several actions point to the fact that a more climate-resilient economy and society must be built in each country, such as measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption for energy production, emphasis on energy efficiency and conservation as well as on power generation from renewable sources such as the Sun.
FOR ACCURATE SURFACE SOLAR INSOLATION FORECASTS, WE NEED TO UNRAVEL THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE
Our research effort has been geared toward providing a solution to this problem by developing a accurate and fast system for the calculation of surface solar radiation spectra at high resolution and frequency using geostationary satellite data where cloud and aerosol effects are implicit.
BEHIND THE MAPS LIES DEEP SCIENCE
We have developed a new system for satellite retrieval of high frequency, high spatial resolution, direct normal, global and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DNI, GHI and DHI) spectra at the Earth’s surface that include the effects of clouds and aerosol. The total DNI, GHI and DHI in each pixel is a reliable estimate of the solar energy, whatever the weather.
SOLEA AS A HORIZON 2020 PILOT
SOLEA is one of the main pilot studies of the HORIZON’s 2020 GEO-CRADLE project. Under the description name SENSE (Solar Energy Nowcasting SystEm) it will be a starting point for energy related investments and innovative high-end applications and technologies.
2500000
RECORD LOOK-UP TABLE OF ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS
90
DAYS OF RADIATIVE TRANSFER SIMULATIONS ON 16 CPUS
1000000
PIXELS OF INSOLATION SPECTRA & UV PRODUCTS PER MINUTE
2
HOURS SHORT-TERM ENERGY FORECAST EVERY 15-MINUTES
capacity building
In each 0.05 x 0.05 degree pixel of the Earth disc seen from the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite , we forecast the direct normal irradiance (DNI), the global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and the diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) spectrum over the wavelength range 285-2600nm every 15-minutes.
By applying erythemal weighting functions to the ultraviolet part of the irradiance spectra, the UV index, the estimated dose of Vitamin D and the photosynthetically-active radiation is instantly calculated.
An active line of solar energy exploitation involves the development of high resolution solar atlases of GHI and DNI. The DNI atlas maps applies to Concentrated Solar Plants (CSP), while the GHI maps applies to PhotoVoltaic installations (PV).
end-users
applications
This service has been implemented in the framework of Solar Energy Nowcasting SystEm (SENSE) pilot of the GEO-CRADLE project. The initial solar radiation database was retrieved by the EUMETSAT’s CM SAF.
This website was developed in the framework of the GEO-CRADLE project under the grant agreement No 690133 (HORIZON 2020). The objective of this website is the operational application of the Solar Energy Nowcasting SystEm for the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy together with a EUMETSAT based Solar Radiation Atlas for the region of Egypt.
The mean monthly solar energy maps of Greece are based on a 15-year climatology of the Direct Normal and Global Horizontal Irradiances (DNI and GHI respectively), while the spatial resolution is almost 5 km. The climatological radiation data are from the EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF). Select the year, month, parameter and scale type for the mean monthly maps of Greece. By selecting the Atlas options you are able to retrieve the 15-year means.
the team
Panagiotis G. Kosmopoulos
Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development
National Observatory of Athens, Greece
Stelios Kazadzis
Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos
World Radiation Center, Switzerland
Iphigenia Keramitsoglou
Institute for Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens
