Spatial & Temporal Characteristics of Solar Radiation Variability
Abstract
Solar resource variability is a broad terminology that may be used to describe different aspects of the solar resource. For instance, some people may be referring to the variability of the resource from one year to the next in a given month or season (e.g., Gueymard & Wilcox, 2011). Others may be referring to the microclimatic variability of the solar resource from one location to another. This article addresses the specific issue of the short-term variability – i.e., the “noise” caused by passing clouds. This aspect of variability is illustrated in figure 1 for a highly variable day in Napa, CA.