Monthly and annual average daily total solar resource data averaged over 40 km by 40 km grid cells. The data represent watt-hours per square meter per day and were developed from NREL's Climatological Solar Radiation (CSR) Model using cloud cover, atmospheric water vapor, trace gases, and aerosols. The modeled values are validated with ground stations where possible and have an estimated accuracy of approximately 10% of a true measured value within a grid cell.
Use Cases
- Modeling photovoltaic system potential based on monthly average solar resource values.
- Analyzing regional solar energy availability for planning based on 40km grid cell data.
- Validating other solar radiation models using the NREL CSR Model outputs.
- Studying the impact of atmospheric aerosols and cloud cover on solar insolation.
Strengths
- Data is validated with existing ground measurement stations where possible.
- Modeled values have an estimated accuracy of approximately 10% of a true measured value within a grid cell.
- Provides both monthly average and annual average daily total solar resource.
Limitations
- Uncertainty increases with distance from reliable measurement sources and with terrain complexity.
- Local cloud cover can vary significantly within a single 40km grid cell.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Provenance
- Source
- NREL's Climatological Solar Radiation (CSR) Model
- Collection Method
- Modeled using cloud cover, atmospheric water vapor, trace gases, and aerosols.
- Time Range
- 1985-1991
- Geography
- Multiple Countries