{"id":7442,"date":"2020-12-14T11:30:18","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T11:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reuniwatt.com\/en\/?p=7442"},"modified":"2020-12-10T15:32:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T15:32:53","slug":"offgrid-sky-camera-implementation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reuniwatt.com\/en\/company-news\/offgrid-sky-camera-implementation\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-Grid Solar: Practical advice for the implementation of weather forecasts with sky cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"

In off-grid installations, solar energy can substitute up to 30 to 40% of annual fuel consumption. To achieve such penetration rates, the photovoltaic power plant is then combined with storage and forecasting systems using all-sky imagers, which play a key role in the energy management of the hybrid power plant.<\/p>\n

In remote rural areas, communities or industrial sites often do not have access to the national grid for power supply. Electricity production is commonly based on diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO) powered generators used to power a micro-grid. The use of hybrid systems based on renewable energies such as solar, hydro or biogas in a fuel-saving concept is receiving increasing attention by the industry. Hybrid solar-diesel-(battery) systems can rapidly achieve substantial fuel savings and thus significantly reduce the cost of electricity for micro-grids. These systems can seamlessly switch between power generation and storage in one system, ensuring a reliable and safe power supply to the mine. High-precision, very short-term solar forecasting using sky imagers plays a key role in managing the spinning reserve, planning the start-up of the generators, and managing the energy storage as required.<\/p>\n

In a previous article<\/a> on the issues and challenges of off-grid solar, the different applications of off-grid solar hybrid power plants were presented in the form of pilot projects in which production forecasts<\/a> are being used. In this article, we share best practices for the implementation of such forecasting systems.<\/p>\n

How to define the forecasting requirements for a solar hybrid project?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The value of forecasts is determined by the operational improvements they facilitate. Forecasting solutions are modular, and different configurations can be considered. It is therefore advisable to start by thinking about what levers can be used to optimize the hybrid power plant. On this basis, a specification of the forecasting service can be defined through communication between the different project stakeholders, including the forecasting provider but also the supplier of the Energy Management and Control System (EMS). The metrics used are also a crucial element to manage an off-grid hybrid installation with respect to its initial objectives.<\/p>\n

Two main expectations are generally observed in the context of off-grid (battery) PV genset systems including a forecasting solution:<\/p>\n