In a new weekly update pv magazine, the DNV company Solcast presents the solar radiation power data it collected from Europe in April. These data show that Spain benefited from 20 to 30 percent more solar radiation than average in the last month, while the rest of Europe had below average radiation.
However, in much of Western and Central Europe radiation power was lower than average, and in parts of Ukraine even 40 percent below average. Sun In the Iberian Peninsula, electricity production exceeded 12 GW on most days of the month, which was a a significant part of the peak of around 60 GW per month, according to available Europe-wide figures.
The weather conditions in Europe in April were consistent with the negative phase of the North Atlantic Vibration. This climate phenomenon is associated with exceptionally low surface pressures West Europe. This manifested itself as stronger low pressure systems and associated front corridors in Western and Central Europe. These brought more clouds, which reduced the sun’s radiation including France, Germany and Poland. The effects were greatest for Ukraine, which experienced heavy rains and floods.
On the other hand, higher than average in the Iberian Peninsula and northern regions around Finland surface pressures were obsd. These brought more clear skies than usual promote the production of solar energy.
Solcast produces these numbers by tracking clouds and aerosols with an accuracy of 1-2 kilometers worldwide satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This information is used to control the irradiance models, which makes it possible Solcast calculates irradiance with high resolution, typical error less than 2%, and also cloud tracking predictions. This data is used by more than 300 companies that manage more than 150 GW of solar energy worldwide.
