PV Power Map
PV Generation
Potential
for November
and December
December 2011
The PV Power Map is a monthly report of national irradiance levels as illustrat- ed by solar power potential. Comparing November and December 2011, December shows slightly higher power production
along the West Coast, reflecting the relatively
mild, clear weather the region experienced
that month. Go to solartoday.org/pvpower
map to reference maps throughout the year.
The PV Power Map provides a unique view
of the total monthly power output of a 1-kilo-
watt (k W) photovoltaic (PV) system by location. Anyone interested in PV can use the PV
Power Map to quickly gauge the generation
potential of a new PV system, or benchmark
the performance of an installed system, in a
given location. Simply multiply the power
output indicated on the PV Power Map by
a project’s capacity, in kilowatts, to calculate
total estimated power output for the month.
Insolation can vary materially from month-to-month or year-to-year, so it’s important
to utilize multiple years of irradiance data to
generate bankable power estimates. Access
free historical irradiance data at solarany
where.com.
The PV Power Map is created with power
output estimates generated by Clean Power
Research’s SolarAnywhere services, which
include simulation capabilities and hourly
satellite-derived irradiance data with a spatial
resolution of 10 kilometers. The calculations
are based on a representative PV system with
a total 1-k W nameplate rating. The representative system is configured as five 200-watt PV
panels with a 1.5-k W inverter; fixed, south-facing panels with 30 degree tilt; no shading;
panel PVUSA Test Conditions (PTC) rating
of 178 watts; and inverter efficiency of 95.5
percent. Visualization and mapping provided
by GeoModel Solar. S T
0 200 400 Miles
0 250 500 Kilometers
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November 2011
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8 March/April 2012 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org
Copyright © 2012 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
