Solar Power Forecasting

Solar power forecasting involves knowledge of the Sun's path, the atmosphere's condition, the scattering processes and the characteristics of a solar energy plant which utilizes the Sun's energy to create solar power. Solar photovoltaic systems transform solar energy into electric power, and the efficient production of this power is highly reliant upon accurate and informed management of solar panel arrays and the electricity grid. More information on Solar Forecasting.

Accurate forecasting depends on a detailed understanding of the full solar spectrum. Visible-light imaging is widely used to detect cloud cover and track cloud motion vectors, providing critical input for short-term irradiance predictions. However, visible-light systems are limited to daylight hours and can be obscured by heavy overcast conditions. Infrared (IR) imaging overcomes these limitations by detecting thermal differences in cloud formations day or night, enabling more reliable forecasting during early morning hours, low-light conditions, and periods of dense cloud cover. Combining both visible and infrared data into hybrid imaging systems produces significantly more accurate and continuous solar irradiance forecasts — a key advantage for grid operators and solar plant managers who need reliable, real-time output predictions.

Ground-based sky imagers and radiometric sensors play an equally important role in site surveying and ongoing data collection. Instruments such as pyranometers measure broadband shortwave irradiance across the full sky dome, while pyrgeometers capture longwave infrared radiation — together enabling a complete radiative energy budget for a given site. This data is essential for feasibility studies, panel positioning optimization, performance ratio monitoring, and feeding into nowcasting models that forecast plant output in the hours ahead.

Our instruments provide an essential component in solar forecasting, site surveying and data collection for solar energy applications. The Solmirus ASIVA (All Sky Infrared Visible Analyzer) is a multi-purpose visible and infrared sky imaging system designed for ground-based cloud detection and sky analysis. Operating in the mid-infrared atmospheric window (8–13 μm) alongside a high-resolution 6-megapixel visible CCD subsystem, the ASIVA delivers radiometrically calibrated imagery that supports solar forecasting, meteorological research, and astronomy applications — autonomously or as part of a larger instrument cluster. Additionally, Solmirus is currently designing and developing solar radiation collectors for small-scale applications.