Solar Resource Map Sets of Australia (GHI)

Project Description

Solar Resource Map Sets of Australia (GHI – Global Horizontal Irradiance)

This project utilised advanced high resolution solar resource data to accurately assess and analyse:

  • the magnitude of solar energy generation across the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) network
  • hourly variations in the magnitude of solar energy generation across the NEM network
  • spatial variations in the magnitude of solar energy generation across the NEM network

The report specifically addressed the spatial variations and impact of local climatology on the hourly solar radiation incident on all areas of the NEM over an extended 10 year period. The resulting datasets enabled evaluation of the magnitude and significance of distributed solar energy generation on the NEM and the modelling of scenarios. Compiled all grid connected solar installation data across the NEM and spatially categorised it in accordance with localised long term solar and climatology data. Advanced, high (spatial and temporal) resolution data was extracted from satellite data covering the entire NEM network for a 10 year period. Further analysis was undertaken to determine the hourly temporal impacts that distributed PV power generation has, within localised zones on the NEM, and the impact that all these variations have on maintaining the NEM in balance due to the increasing proportion of intermittent solar power generation within the mix of centralised and distributed power generation on the NEM.

Recent Work