Global Patterns of Solar Resource Short-Term Variability Based on Solargis Time Series Data

The era of modern meteorological satellites provides new opportunities for analysis of variability derived from satellite-based solar resource data. Combining satellite missions together makes it possible to analyse variability on a global scale. This study provides information on the occurrence and magnitude of the short-term solar resource variability, globally. Our approach is based on statistical processing of a 10-minute and 15-minute time series of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), derived from the Solargis satellite-to-irradiance model data from five satellite missions covering the globe. The analysis is performed for a period of the recent 5 years (2019 – 2023, the era of modern meteorological satellites) in a grid with 4-km nominal spatial resolution. The variability statistics are communicated in the form of graphs and maps. Short term solar resource variability (solar ramp rates) shows strong seasonal and geographical patterns. We analyse the typical size of solar ramp rates and patterns in their temporal and geographical spread. The main advantage of the presented approach is understanding of short-term variability and its changing patterns globally, across regions and seasons, especially where availability of solar meteorological measurements is very limited. Information about the variability is important for planning and development of electrical grids and photovoltaic (PV) projects.