Hourly Solar Surface Irradiance from Meteosat Satellite

EUMETSAT's dataset provides hourly estimates of solar irradiance reaching the Earth's surface, derived from the SEVIRI instrument on the Meteosat geostationary satellite. Data is produced by applying a physical parameterization algorithm to satellite imagery and is remapped onto a 0.05-degree regular grid. The product is interpolated to rounded Universal Time hours, though pixel observation times vary.

Use Cases

• Forecast photovoltaic power generation by modeling energy output from the solar irradiance (W/m2) values.
• Validate and calibrate numerical weather prediction models using the gridded surface irradiance field.
• Analyze spatiotemporal patterns of solar resource availability for renewable energy site planning using the 0.05-degree grid.
• Study diurnal cycles of surface heating by examining the hourly-interpolated irradiance time series.

Strengths

• Derived from the operational SEVIRI instrument on the Meteosat geostationary satellite, ensuring consistent data collection.
• Provides data on a regular 0.05-degree geographic grid, facilitating spatial analysis.
• Algorithm produces hourly-interpolated values, creating a standardized time series for analysis.

Limitations

• The exact temporal coverage, update frequency, and data volume (rows, size) are unspecified.
• Pixel observation time is not homogeneous across the image, varying by about 12 minutes from north to south, which the hourly interpolation corrects for but may introduce minor temporal averaging artifacts.
• Data is derived from a single visible channel (0.6µm), which may limit atmospheric correction capabilities compared to multi-spectral approaches.

Provenance

Source

EUMETSAT, derived from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite's SEVIRI instrument.

Collection Method

Physical parameterization algorithm applied to the 0.6µm visible channel of SEVIRI imagery, remapped to a regular grid.

Geography

Coverage area of the Meteosat geostationary satellite (primarily Europe, Africa, and parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans).