Title: An Unsupervised Method for Estimating the Global Horizontal Irradiance from Photovoltaic Power Measurements,
Abstract: In this paper, we present a method to determine the global horizontal
irradiance (GHI) from the power measurements of one or more PV systems, located
in the same neighborhood. The method is completely unsupervised and is based on
a physical model of a PV plant. The precise assessment of solar irradiance is
pivotal for the forecast of the electric power generated by photovoltaic (PV)
plants. However, on-ground measurements are expensive and are generally not
performed for small and medium-sized PV plants. Satellite-based services
represent a valid alternative to on site measurements, but their space-time
resolution is limited. Results from two case studies located in Switzerland are
presented. The performance of the proposed method at assessing GHI is compared
with that of free and commercial satellite services. Our results show that the
presented method is generally better than satellite-based services, especially
at high temporal resolutions.