Comparison of and Discrepancies Between TMY and TMY2S Predictions for Simple Photovoltaic and Wind Energy Simulations

A new typical meteorological year (TMY2s) data set has been derived from the 1961–1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB). This paper compares PV and wind energy system simulation results using new TMY2s data with results using the original TMY data set. PV and aerogenerator simulations are compared in seven different climatic regions of the United States. Results indicate that PV simulations using TMY2s data provide higher energy values for cloudy regions where the clearness index is low and lower energy values for sunnier climates. TMY2s wind simulations produce lower energy predictions in nearly all cases tested.