CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonforecastingsolarpvlib
kostas
kostas

Reputation: 2019

Converting total irradiance forecast from cloud cover forecast using pvlib in python

I am trying to calculate total irradiance in python using pvlib. In older versions the irradiation module included a method implementing Liu-Jordan model and it was possible to convert cloud cover forecast to irradiation forecast.

Would it be possible to perform this conversion in the latest version (0.3.3)?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1129

Answers (1)

Will Holmgren
Will Holmgren

Reputation: 735

An early prototype of the pvlib python forecasting feature conflated the Liu Jordan model with a cloud cover to transmittance model. This was on a github branch, but it was not part of an official pvlib python release.

pvlib python 0.4 includes the irradiance.liujordan function, but you'll need to first convert cloud cover to transmittance. The ForecastModel class has a simple method for doing so.

For the pvlib python 0.4.x series, the essential code is

model = pvlib.forecast.ForecastModel()  # or any subclass of ForecastModel
irrads = model.cloud_cover_to_irradiance_liujordan(cloud_cover)

The pvlib python documentation also describes how to do this, though you'll have to look past the unrelated documentation errors on readthedocs (or build the documentation locally):

http://pvlib-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/forecasts.html#cloud-cover-and-radiation

The API may change in 0.5.

Upvotes: 3

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