scholarly journals Comparative Performance and Model Agreement of Three Common Photovoltaic Array Configurations

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Boyd

Three grid-connected monocrystalline silicon arrays on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, MD have been instrumented and monitored for 1 yr, with only minimal gaps in the data sets. These arrays range from 73 kW to 271 kW, and all use the same module, but have different tilts, orientations, and configurations. One array is installed facing east and west over a parking lot, one in an open field, and one on a flat roof. Various measured relationships and calculated standard metrics have been used to compare the relative performance of these arrays in their different configurations. Comprehensive performance models have also been created in the modeling software pvsyst for each array, and its predictions using measured on-site weather data are compared to the arrays' measured outputs. The comparisons show that all three arrays typically have monthly performance ratios (PRs) above 0.75, but differ significantly in their relative output, strongly correlating to their operating temperature and to a lesser extent their orientation. The model predictions are within 5% of the monthly delivered energy values except during the winter months, when there was intermittent snow on the arrays, and during maintenance and other outages.

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
LAL SINGH ◽  
PARMEET SINGH ◽  
RAIHANA HABIB KANTH ◽  
PURUSHOTAM SINGH ◽  
SABIA AKHTER ◽  
...  

WOFOST version 7.1.3 is a computer model that simulates the growth and production of annual field crops. All the run options are operational through a graphical user interface named WOFOST Control Center version 1.8 (WCC). WCC facilitates selecting the production level, and input data sets on crop, soil, weather, crop calendar, hydrological field conditions, soil fertility parameters and the output options. The files with crop, soil and weather data are explained, as well as the run files and the output files. A general overview is given of the development and the applications of the model. Its underlying concepts are discussed briefly.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 621
Author(s):  
Elaheh Talebi ◽  
W. Pratt Rogers ◽  
Tyler Morgan ◽  
Frank A. Drews

Mine workers operate heavy equipment while experiencing varying psychological and physiological impacts caused by fatigue. These impacts vary in scope and severity across operators and unique mine operations. Previous studies show the impact of fatigue on individuals, raising substantial concerns about the safety of operation. Unfortunately, while data exist to illustrate the risks, the mechanisms and complex pattern of contributors to fatigue are not understood sufficiently, illustrating the need for new methods to model and manage the severity of fatigue’s impact on performance and safety. Modern technology and computational intelligence can provide tools to improve practitioners’ understanding of workforce fatigue. Many mines have invested in fatigue monitoring technology (PERCLOS, EEG caps, etc.) as a part of their health and safety control system. Unfortunately, these systems provide “lagging indicators” of fatigue and, in many instances, only provide fatigue alerts too late in the worker fatigue cycle. Thus, the following question arises: can other operational technology systems provide leading indicators that managers and front-line supervisors can use to help their operators to cope with fatigue levels? This paper explores common data sets available at most modern mines and how these operational data sets can be used to model fatigue. The available data sets include operational, health and safety, equipment health, fatigue monitoring and weather data. A machine learning (ML) algorithm is presented as a tool to process and model complex issues such as fatigue. Thus, ML is used in this study to identify potential leading indicators that can help management to make better decisions. Initial findings confirm existing knowledge tying fatigue to time of day and hours worked. These are the first generation of models and future models will be forthcoming.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1407-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Field ◽  
A. C. Spessa ◽  
N. A. Aziz ◽  
A. Camia ◽  
A. Cantin ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System is the mostly widely used fire danger rating system in the world. We have developed a global database of daily FWI System calculations, beginning in 1980, called the Global Fire WEather Database (GFWED) gridded to a spatial resolution of 0.5° latitude by 2/3° longitude. Input weather data were obtained from the NASA Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and two different estimates of daily precipitation from rain gauges over land. FWI System Drought Code calculations from the gridded data sets were compared to calculations from individual weather station data for a representative set of 48 stations in North, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia and Australia. Agreement between gridded calculations and the station-based calculations tended to be most different at low latitudes for strictly MERRA-based calculations. Strong biases could be seen in either direction: MERRA DC over the Mato Grosso in Brazil reached unrealistically high values exceeding DC = 1500 during the dry season but was too low over Southeast Asia during the dry season. These biases are consistent with those previously identified in MERRA's precipitation, and they reinforce the need to consider alternative sources of precipitation data. GFWED can be used for analyzing historical relationships between fire weather and fire activity at continental and global scales, in identifying large-scale atmosphere–ocean controls on fire weather, and calibration of FWI-based fire prediction models.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Astrid Roetzel

Building simulation is a powerful way to evaluate the performance of a building. The quality of simulation results however strongly depends on the accuracy of simulation input data. Especially for weather data files and occupant behaviour it is difficult to obtain accurate data. This paper evaluates the variability of building simulation results with regards to different weather data sets as well as different heating and cooling set points for a residential building in Victoria, Australia. Thermal comfort according to ASHRAE Standard 55, final energy consumption and peak cooling and heating loads are assessed. Simulations have been performed with Energy-Plus, and weather data for a multi-year approach have been generated with the software Meteonorm. The results show that different weather files for the same location as well as different conditioning set points can influence the results by approximately a factor of 2.


2014 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kočí ◽  
Jiří Maděra ◽  
Robert Černý
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Lucas Segarra ◽  
Germán Ramos Ruiz ◽  
Vicente Gutiérrez González ◽  
Antonis Peppas ◽  
Carlos Fernández Bandera

The use of building energy models (BEMs) is becoming increasingly widespread for assessing the suitability of energy strategies in building environments. The accuracy of the results depends not only on the fit of the energy model used, but also on the required external files, and the weather file is one of the most important. One of the sources for obtaining meteorological data for a certain period of time is through an on-site weather station; however, this is not always available due to the high costs and maintenance. This paper shows a methodology to analyze the impact on the simulation results when using an on-site weather station and the weather data calculated by a third-party provider with the purpose of studying if the data provided by the third-party can be used instead of the measured weather data. The methodology consists of three comparison analyses: weather data, energy demand, and indoor temperature. It is applied to four actual test sites located in three different locations. The energy study is analyzed at six different temporal resolutions in order to quantify how the variation in the energy demand increases as the time resolution decreases. The results showed differences up to 38% between annual and hourly time resolutions. Thanks to a sensitivity analysis, the influence of each weather parameter on the energy demand is studied, and which sensors are worth installing in an on-site weather station are determined. In these test sites, the wind speed and outdoor temperature were the most influential weather parameters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-665
Author(s):  
Min Wu ◽  
Qi Feng ◽  
Xiaohu Wen ◽  
Ravinesh C. Deo ◽  
Zhenliang Yin ◽  
...  

Abstract The study evaluates the potential utility of the random forest (RF) predictive model used to simulate daily reference evapotranspiration (ET0) in two stations located in the arid oasis area of northwestern China. To construct an accurate RF-based predictive model, ET0 is estimated by an appropriate combination of model inputs comprising maximum air temperature (Tmax), minimum air temperature (Tmin), sunshine durations (Sun), wind speed (U2), and relative humidity (Rh). The output of RF models are tested by ET0 calculated using Penman–Monteith FAO 56 (PMF-56) equation. Results showed that the RF model was considered as a better way to predict ET0 for the arid oasis area with limited data. Besides, Rh was the most influential factor on the behavior of ET0, except for air temperature in the proposed arid area. Moreover, the uncertainty analysis with a Monte Carlo method was carried out to verify the reliability of the results, and it was concluded that RF model had a lower uncertainty and can be used successfully in simulating ET0. The proposed study shows RF as a sound modeling approach for the prediction of ET0 in the arid areas where reliable weather data sets are available, but relatively limited.


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