Comparative analysis of CNN–LSTM and CNN–BiLSTM hybrid deep learning models for solar radiation prediction

Solar radiation forecasting is a complex task since the radiation signal is nonlinear, intermittent and is significantly influenced by meteorological variability, which makes it vital for PV planning, renewable energy planning and stability of the smart grid. In this work, a replicable comparison between CNN-LSTM and CNN-BiLSTM models for one-step ahead solar clearness-index forecasting based on multivariate climate variables from NASA POWER dataset for Delhi, India, is presented. Under identical preprocessing, windowing, chronological splitting, and training conditions, CNN-LSTM achieved MAE = 0.0880, RMSE = 0.1100, R2 = 0.3100, EVS = 0.3154, WI = 0.6317, and APB = 1.89%, whereas CNN-BiLSTM obtained MAE = 0.1015, RMSE = 0.1224, R2 = 0.1456, EVS = 0.1998, WI = 0.5261, and APB = 5.98%. The Skill Scores shown and the negative values for direct clearness-index prediction do not imply that the persistence reference was unattainable, but rather reveal that the results are a controlled model-to-model comparison and not evidence of state-of-the-art superiority. Reconstructed all-sky irradiance produced stronger agreement with observations (MAE = 0.4353, RMSE = 0.5417, R2 = 0.7884, EVS = 0.7965, WI = 0.9299, and APB = 3.90%). The main task of CNN-LSTM is to provide a practical balance between accuracy and efficiency in this experimental context, and further testing with other locations, more powerful baselines and probabilistic forecasting techniques is needed.