Frontmatter

John Boland

UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes SA 5095, South Australia

Jamie M. Bright

Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Block E3A, #06-25, 7 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117574, Singapore

Carlos Fernández-Peruchena

National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), C/Isaac Newton 4, 41092, Seville, Spain

Âzeddine Frimane

Laboratory of Renewable Energies and Environment (LR2E), Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, B.P 133-14000, Kenitra, Morocco

Adrian Grantham

UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes SA 5095, South Australia

Miguel Larrañeta

Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation (AICIA), Avenida de los descubrimientos s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain

Joakim Munkhammar

Built Environment Energy Systems Group, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden

Manuel A. Silva Pérez

Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, Avenida de los descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain

Joakim Widén

Built Environment Energy Systems Group, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden

At the time of writing this book, we have moved into a new decade and the people of the world are demanding immediate action in response to the climate emergency. We are facing global economic downturn due to a global pandemic and volatile changes in the price of oil; the world is watching and the masses demand change.

Of the many sectors where significant change is required for us to stand a chance of preventing catastrophic climate change, the energy sector has seen the most substantive adaptations to date. Renewable energy technologies are paramount to the decarbonization of the energy sector in both established and emerging markets. Renewable energy presently provides a significant proportion of global energy demand, and more capacity is added each year at a remarkable rate driven mostly by the ease of installation and a continuous reduction in cost.

Growth in the solar energy sector brings with it inherent problems of the solar energy resource itself; notably, solar energy is a variable and intermittent resource that is uncontrollably influenced by time of day, the presence of clouds, and atmospheric composition. Whilst these influences are not new phenomena, the surging growth in the overall market share of small- and large-scale solar energy technologies means that impacts caused by solar variability become more pronounced. Hence, it has become a priority to fully understand the operational impacts of more and more solar energy technology. There are many opportunities for industrially focused academic investigation in the field of solar energy. Perhaps most predictably—as you are reading this particular book—the opportunities of interest are in the areas energy meteorology, resource assessment, and grid integration. This book in particular is looking at synthetic solar irradiance and its part to play in the world of solar.

This book represents a global collaboration and collection of ideas and opinions from experts around the world. The authors who have contributed to the various chapters are situated across four continents and are the representatives of an impressive number of publications in the field of synthetic solar irradiance that can be found in the literature.

Chapter 1 is devoted to understanding what exactly synthetic solar irradiance is. A brief history of solar energy, the key terms, fundamental concepts, and critical objectives associated with the topic are presented.

Chapter 2 looks at the key methodological principles underlying synthetic solar irradiance as well as its application at present. Some more specific considerations with regard to synthetic solar are discussed, and the power of synthetic solar irradiance as a technique is cemented.

Chapter 3 dives deep into the literature on synthetic solar irradiance. Taking a chronological approach, the progress made over time in the field is summarized and detailed in terms of objective and methodological approaches. The techniques used are explored down to their mathematical basis to give a firm understanding of the current state of the art in synthetic solar.

Chapter 4 explores how we should quantify and qualify the success of generated synthetic solar irradiance time series. Validation is a complex and often subjective topic, and so we try present a holistic approach that covers all aspects of synthetic solar irradiance. The literature is revisited to glean lessons and patterns of validation so that we can make suggestions of how best to validate moving forward.

In Chapter 5, a case study of solar resource assessment using synthetic solar irradiance to the field of concentrating solar power is presented. Financial risk assessment of a solar energy project requires data. In this case study, synthetic data are applied in conjunction to the ground data to try to build a more comprehensive risk profile of a concentrating solar farm.

Finally, Chapter 6 looks at the challenges still facing the field of synthetic solar irradiance. We express opinions from our own discussions and experience gained from operating in this area. We attempt to give an overview of the open challenges and future scope of the field so that you, the reader, can make your home in this exciting research discipline.

The audience for a book on synthetic solar irradiance is expected to be academics, scientists, and engineers concerned with solar energy variability and the impacts it poses. We discuss throughout the current state of commercial application of synthetic solar irradiance. There have been contracts awarded to apply state-of-the-art synthetic solar irradiance techniques to industry for solar farm developers and operators, power utilities, and energy markets. That said, there is no clear winner in terms of which is the best technique to use. Hence, anyone wishing to adopt and adapt synthetic solar irradiance techniques should hopefully gain a lot from this book.

It is my hope as editor, and the hopes of all authors who have contributed to this book, that you enjoy the content herein and that you find what it is you are looking for out of this research field. We wish to extend our earnest welcome to the field of synthetic solar irradiance and look forward to seeing your contribution in the future.

Jamie M. Bright