EVALUATION OF THE HELIOSAT-4 AND MCCLEAR MODELS FOR SOLAR GLOBALIRRADIATION ESTIMATE AT TWO SITES IN ARGENTINA

Abstract

Satellite-derived solar radiation information is necessary for assessing the financial risk of solar energy projects at arbitrary locations. These estimates must be evaluated against high-quality ground measurements to ensure the reliability of the information. In this work, 15-minute Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) data from the Heliosat-4 model for all-sky conditions and the McClear model for clear-sky conditions were evaluated against ground-based measurements at two Saver-Net stations (http: //www.savernetsatreps.org): Pilar (Córdoba) and Villa Martelli (Buenos Aires). Clear sky detection of the measurements was done using the modified clarity index and analyzing the variability of consecutive measurements. A bias close to -5.5 % was found for the Heliosat-4 model at both sites and 1.15 % and -0.73 % for the MCClear model in Pilar and Villa Martelli, respectively. Furthermore, the relative root mean square error (rRMSD) was2 % and 20 % for the McClear and Heliosat-4 models, respectively at both sites.