Hourly Plane-of-Array Solar Irradiance Maps for Switzerland

Switzerland is covered by maps of hourly solar irradiance projected onto tilted surfaces at a 300-meter spatial resolution. The dataset provides plane-of-array irradiance for tilts of 0°, 30°, 70°, and 90° and includes pre-computed seasonal and annual statistics. ENVIDAT created this resource, which currently covers the temporal extent from 2009 to 2019.

Use Cases

• Model photovoltaic energy yield for specific Swiss locations using hourly plane-of-array irradiance values for tilts of 0°, 30°, 70°, and 90°.
• Analyze seasonal solar resource variability across Switzerland using the pre-computed seasonal and annual statistics maps.
• Compare solar potential on different surface orientations (horizontal to vertical) using the provided irradiance projections for four distinct tilt angles.
• Train machine learning models to downscale or forecast irradiance by leveraging the 300m resolution hourly time-series data from 2009-2019.

Strengths

• Hourly temporal resolution over an 11-year period (2009-2019).
• High spatial resolution of 300 meters across the entire country of Switzerland.
• Includes pre-computed derivative data products like seasonal and annual statistics.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, ending in 2019 with no more recent updates.
• Limited to four specific tilt angles (0°, 30°, 70°, 90°), not a continuous range.
• Unknown sample size or file format details, complicating initial technical assessment.

Provenance

Source

ENVIDAT

Collection Method

Derived maps of solar irradiance projected onto tilted surfaces.

Time Range

2009 to 2019

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2025-01-01, but underlying data covers 2009-2019.

Geography

Switzerland