Photovoltaic Configuration Inference for Obstruction-Aware Forecasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate photovoltaic system configuration specifications are crucial for predicting energy output, but existing methods face challenges due to incomplete or unavailable data, especially in geographically dispersed systems, leading to inaccurate forecasting and high computational costs.
Innovation Solution
A method that infers photovoltaic system configuration specifications using historical production data and solar resource data, simulating a wide range of configurations to identify the optimal setup with the lowest error, and adjusts for diffuse irradiance and obstructions to improve forecasting accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If system specifications are inferred from measured photovoltaic production data through exhaustive search of all possible combinations, then measurement precision of system specifications is improved, but computational time and complexity increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration space into discrete parameter categories (azimuth angle, tilt angle, obstruction elevation angles for multiple azimuth bins) and systematically evaluates combinations within these segmented segments. This segmentation allows the exhaustive search to be organized into manageable portions, making the computational process more tractable while still achieving complete coverage of the configuration space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-defining the configuration space boundaries and parameter ranges before the search begins. The computer system pre-establishes the discrete parameter categories and their respective ranges, which prepares the computational framework in advance and reduces the complexity of the actual search process by having the search space already structured and ready for evaluation.
2Ease of operation
If user-supplied system specifications are accepted without verification, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision of configuration data deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by comparing measured photovoltaic production data against simulated production data generated from the supplied configuration specifications. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically evaluate the accuracy of user-supplied specifications and identify discrepancies, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring manual verification while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically evaluating and validating the configuration specifications through comparison of measured and simulated production data. The computer system independently assesses the accuracy of user-supplied specifications and can identify errors without requiring external verification, thus maintaining operational simplicity while improving data precision through automated self-validation.
Data Source
AI summary
A photovoltaic system's configuration specification can be inferred by an evaluative process that searches through a space of candidate values for the variables in the specification. Each variable is selected in a specific ordering that narrows the field of candidate values. A constant horizon is assumed to account for diffuse irradiance insensitive to specific obstruction locations relative to the photovoltaic system's geographic location. Initial values for the azimuth angle, constant horizon obstruction elevation angle, and tilt angle are determined, followed by final values for these variables. The effects of direct obstructions that block direct irradiance in the areas where the actual horizon and the range of sun path values overlap relative to the geographic location are evaluated to find the exact obstruction elevation angle over a range of azimuth bins or directions. The photovoltaic temperature response coefficient and the inverter rating or power curve of the photovoltaic system are determined.