Solar radiation forecasting for a hybrid PV-CSP system in a desert, coastal city

As the penetration of PV increases worldwide, improved accuracy and finer spatial and temporal resolution of solar data sets are needed to optimize the performance of these technologies in the energy system of a particular region or country. This work is part of a research project aiming to quantify the effects of aerosols and clouds on solar resource and forecasting through a combination of: solar resource measurements, estimation of aerosol/cloud information, solar radiation forecasting at short time scales using sky-imagers, DNI, GHI and dust forecasting by a three-dimensional chemical transport/weather model. We make use of long-term solar radiation data from a dense network of solar stations in Qatar. Qatar is located in the Arabian Gulf, in the Middle East, and has an arid desert climate. Its capital, Doha, sits on the west coast of the country. The main objective of the project is to optimally design an application for a hybrid PV-CSP system (with Thermal Energy Storage) for the community of Education City in Doha, Qatar, using 100% renewable energy sources throughout the year.