The archelios™ PRO photovoltaic application now incorporates an API to data provider 3E that enables the automatic import of TMY data (Typical Meteorological Year) when designing a photovoltaic project.
The use of quality meteorological data to assess the insolation of a photovoltaic project is as essential as the system definition (environment, modules, inverters, etc.). Irradiance data is in fact the first input in the chain of algorithms used to calculate the solar yield.
Previously, this data was based on monthly averages for previous years. TMY data is now widely used, as it enables the behaviour of a power plant to be simulated for a ‘typical’ year, i.e. a year made up of real data rather than averages. This improves the accuracy of the energy yield assessment.
What is a TMY file?
TMY FILE
A TMY file is constructed from a series of data over a long period, generally more than 10 years, and is made up by selecting the most typical months in the data series.
For example, for the 2005-2020 time series, January will be taken from 2009, February from 2015, and so on.
The most typical months are selected based on statistical criteria such as the deviation from the monthly average and the distribution of data throughout the month. This selection process considers not only irradiation variables (global and diffuse horizontal irradiation) but also temperature, assigning specific weights to each factor.
Together with the software used and the justification of the simulation assumptions, the use of data from a recognised supplier is part of the ‘bankability’ criteria for a solar yield study.
Importing TMY data from 3E with archelios™ PRO: speed and accuracy
archelios™ PRO enables the import of meteorological data from several data providers renowned for the accuracy of their data. The latest version of the software now makes it possible to use those from the 3E service, which provides TMY weather files whose accuracy has been assessed by independent studies1.
There are two options available to archelios™ PRO users:
- Import a 3E TMY file
- Use the API to query the 3E service directly
A time saver in conception
- Automatic data import from the 3E API or from a TMY file supplied by 3E
- No need to edit data after import
