Meet the editor

Mohammadreza Aghaei is a senior researcher and lecturer in the field of renewables, photovoltaics, enabling technologies, and energy systems. He received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy in 2016. He was a postdoctoral scientist at Fraunhofer ISE and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin-PVcomB, Germany, in 2017 and 2018, respectively. He has been a guest scientist at the University of Freiburg, Germany since

2017. He completed two years of postdoc studies at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands. Currently, he is a senior scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and co-leader of an EU H2020-funded project "COL-LECTiEF." Dr. Aghaei has been appointed as an adjunct professor at the Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran. He is also a senior lecturer at the University of Freiburg. He was the chair of COST Action PEARL PV's Working Group 2: Reliability and Durability of PV. Dr. Aghaei is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has a very strong international profile and more than 10 years of research experience in renewable energy systems. He was involved in several national and EU-funded research projects dealing with photovoltaics, energy systems, and smart and autonomous technology. He has authored numerous publications in internationally refereed journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. He has also supervised several master's and Ph.D. students.

Contents

**Section 1**

**Section 2**

**Section 3**

Systems

*and Jafar Milimonfared*

*by Marc A.N. Korevaar*

**Preface XI**

Introduction **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

Fundamentals, Measurements and Modeling of Solar Radiation **21**

**Chapter 2 23**

**Chapter 3 43**

Forecasting and Characterization of Solar Radiation **75**

**Chapter 4 77**

**Chapter 5 95**

Forecasting and Modelling of Solar Radiation for Photovoltaic (PV)

Temporal Fluctuations Scaling Analysis: Power Law of Ramp

Introductory Chapter: Solar Photovoltaic Energy

Measuring Solar Irradiance for Photovoltaics

*by David Afungchui, Joseph Ebobenow, Ali Helali* 

*and Nkongho Ayuketang Arreyndip*

*by Ines Sansa and Najiba Mrabet Bellaaj*

Rate's Variance for PV Power Output *by Maina André and Rudy Calif*

*by Mohammadreza Aghaei, Amir Nedaei, Aref Eskandari* 

Modelling of Solar Radiation for Photovoltaic Applications

## Contents



Preface

Energy consumption across the world is increasing, and according to International Energy Agency (IEA) reports, humanity will require much more energy in the upcoming decades. Therefore, the world will be faced with an imminent energy

The energy transition is a pathway toward the transformation of the global energy sector from fossil-based fuels to zero-carbon emissions. All energy scenarios project that global energy generation and consumption will increase by more than 50% by 2050. This means the global energy sectors face greater uncertainty and challenges in both the short and long term. The decarbonization of the energy sector requires urgent action on a global scale to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects

To overcome these challenges, humankind needs to harness the power of the sun as an infinite source to supply additional energy as well as increase the share of renewable energy around the world. Solar radiation is radiant energy originating from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation at various wavelengths. Almost all renewable energy comes from the sun either directly or indirectly. A vast amount of solar energy (173,000 terawatts) reaches the atmosphere and surface of the Earth, which is more than 10,000 times greater than the total energy used in the world. Today, photovoltaic (PV) solar energy has become the cheapest source for electrical power generation. At the beginning of 2022, PV installation exceeded 1 TW, which was an impressive milestone in the solar energy sector. In 2021, the world installed at least 183 GW, and PV capacity reached 788 GW at the

This book provides detailed information about solar radiation as the source of PV solar energy. It addresses various technical and practical aspects, including fundamental principles, measurement, modeling, and forecasting of solar radiation for PV solar energy technologies and applications. Most of this book describes the basic, modern, and contemporary knowledge and technology of extraterrestrial and terrestrial solar irradiance for PV solar energy. The contents contribute to energy transition and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly (SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG13: Climate Action) and indirectly (SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and

The book includes eleven chapters categorized into four sections: (I) "Introduction,"

"Forecasting and Characterization of Solar Radiation," and (IV) "Solar Photovoltaic

Section I includes Chapter 1, which introduces the concept of energy transition and presents the background of solar radiation and solar energy as well as provides

(II) "Fundamentals, Measurements and Modeling of Solar Radiation", (III)

Infrastructure; SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Technologies and Applications."

dilemma in the 21st century.

of climate change.

end of 2020.
