EVALUATION OF THE HELIOSAT-4 AND MCCLEAR MODELS FOR SOLAR GLOBAL IRRADIATION 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 allsky 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 analysing 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) was
2% and 20% for the McClear and Heliosat-4 models, respectively at both sites.