ARCHIVED INSIGHTS
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
INSIGHTS / THE VIEW
Building a Bankable Solar Radiation Dataset
Proc. Solar 2011, American Solar Energy Society, Raleigh, NC, (2011)
October 17, 2011
ABSTRACT
In order to obtain financing at a competitive interest rate, and therefore ensure the best economics of a solar project, a bankable solar radiation dataset is required. Almost all solar radiation datasets are derived from publically available data, and the strengths and weaknesses of these existing solar radiation databases are discussed herein. While the financing community generally views the solar resource as stable, it also views the material miscalculation of the solar resource as one of the biggest risks in a solar project. Therefore, lenders and rating agencies alike require verification of the solar resource dataset to be utilized at each project location (as this translates directly into electric energy production forecast and revenues) as well as analyses of historical solar resource variability and probability.
