U.S. Agrivoltaics Irradiance and Shading Data

Hourly, 4x4 km resolution data across the contiguous United States and Hawaii models sunlight availability for 10 common agrivoltaics configurations. The dataset, produced by the Department of Energy, uses the System Advisor Model to simulate shading patterns from the National Solar Radiation Database. It reports sunlight at 10 ground locations between solar panel rows and provides metrics like power output per acre and farmable land area.

Use Cases

• Model crop-specific suitability by analyzing simulated shading patterns and irradiance data across 10 agrivoltaics configurations.
• Compare energy and agricultural trade-offs using estimated metrics like power output per acre and farmable land area per acre for different panel layouts.
• Analyze spatial and temporal variability of global horizontal irradiance and wind speed from the NSRDB input meteorological data for site planning.
• Simulate sunlight availability for planting beds by utilizing the averaged irradiance data reported for areas like the edge-to-edge open zone or across 3-6 beds.

Strengths

• Hourly temporal resolution and 4x4 km spatial resolution across the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii provides detailed spatiotemporal coverage.
• Models 10 distinct agrivoltaics configurations, enabling comparative analysis of different solar panel and agriculture co-location designs.
• Derived from the authoritative National Solar Radiation Database and processed using the established System Advisor Model (SAM).
• Reports sunlight data at 10 specific ground locations between panel rows, offering granular insight into microclimate conditions.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column structure are unknown, limiting pre-download assessment of data volume and feature details.
• Relies on modeled simulations of shading patterns rather than direct, in-situ measurements, which may introduce modeling inaccuracies.
• Geographic scope is limited to the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii, excluding Alaska, U.S. territories, and international regions.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy, derived from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB).

Collection Method

Data calculated from NSRDB sites using the System Advisor Model (SAM) to simulate shading patterns.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated in February 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Contiguous United States and Hawaii at 4x4 km resolution.