Solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus, solar irradiance intensity estimation system, and solar irradiance intensity estimation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11294098-B2
Application number	US-201815908849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2018
Priority date	Jul 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus has an estimation model generation unit that generates estimation models of solar radiation intensities at a plurality of observation points based on observed cloud state data and solar radiation intensities observed at the plurality of observation points, an estimation model interpolation unit that generates an estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at a target point based on the estimation models of solar radiation intensities at the plurality of observation points, and a solar irradiance intensity estimation unit that estimates a solar irradiance intensity at the target point based on a reflection intensity at the target point obtained from the cloud state data and the estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at the target point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
generate estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at a plurality of observation points based on cloud state data, and based on solar irradiance intensities measured at the plurality of observation points;
generate an estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at a target point, different from the plurality of observation points, based on the estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points, wherein a solar irradiance intensity was not measured at the target point;
estimate a solar irradiance intensity at the target point based on a reflection intensity at the target point obtained from the cloud state data and the generated estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at the target point;
store the cloud state data, which is measured by a cloud observation sensor;
store environment information including at least one of an amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, quantities of particles in the atmosphere, a ground surface reflection coefficient, and a sunlight intensity outside the atmosphere,
acquire a correspondence relationship between a reflection intensity of sunlight at each point obtained from a satellite image and an optical depth indicating a rate of sunlight reaching a ground;
acquire a corrected optical depth obtained by correcting the optical depth;
acquire a correspondence relationship between the corrected optical depth and solar irradiance intensity;
acquire the optical depth corresponding to a reflection intensity of sunlight at each observation point, obtained from the satellite image, then, acquire the corrected optical depth, obtained by correcting the acquired optical depth, and then, acquire, at each observation point, the solar irradiance intensity corresponding to the acquired corrected optical depth; and
store the acquired solar irradiance intensity at each of the plurality of observation points,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the estimation models of the solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points based on the stored cloud state data, the stored solar irradiance intensities, and the stored environmental information.

2. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
calculate the solar irradiance intensity at each observation point based on the cloud state data, the environment information, and a preset estimation model; and
correct the preset estimation model such that the calculated solar irradiance intensity matches the solar irradiance intensity measured at each observation point.

3. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the environmental information stored by the processing circuitry includes at least one of information on an atmospheric state at the observation point and position information of the observation point.

4. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the cloud state data includes reflection intensities of sunlight reflected by a cloud, at the plurality of observation points and the target point obtained from a satellite image, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points based on the reflection intensities at the plurality of observation points and the solar radiation intensities measured at the plurality of observation points.

5. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
generate the estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points based on the cloud state data measured by a cloud observation sensor and the solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points measured by a solar irradiance intensity observation sensor, and
supply the estimated solar irradiance intensity at the target point to a solar irradiance intensity application apparatus.

6. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
extract a characteristic indicating a weather condition at the target point and t each of the plurality of observation points, and
generate the estimation model of the solar irradiance intensity at the target point based on the estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points and the extracted characteristic.

7. The solar irradiance intensity estimation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to extract a cloud shape as the characteristic at each of the plurality of observation points and g the target point.

8. A solar irradiance intensity estimation system, comprising:
a cloud observation sensor that measures cloud state data;
a solar irradiance intensity observation sensor that measures solar radiation intensities at a plurality of observation points in a target region; and
processing circuitry configured to
generate estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points based on the measured cloud state data and the solar irradiance intensities measured at the plurality of observation points;
generate an estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at a target point, different from the plurality of observation points, based on the estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points, wherein a solar irradiance intensity was not measured at the target point;
estimate the solar irradiance intensity at the target point based on a reflection intensity at the target point obtained from the cloud state data and the generated estimation model of a solar irradiance intensity at the target point;
store the cloud state data measured by the cloud observation sensor;
store environment information including at least one of an amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, quantities of particles in the atmosphere, a ground surface reflection coefficient, and a sunlight intensity outside the atmosphere;
acquire a correspondence relationship between a reflection intensity of sunlight at each point obtained from a satellite image and an optical depth indicating a rate of sunlight reaching a ground;
acquire a corrected optical depth obtained by correcting the optical depth;
acquire a correspondence relationship between the corrected optical depth and a solar irradiance intensity; and
acquire the optical depth corresponding to a reflection intensity of sunlight at each observation point, obtained from the satellite image, then, acquire the corrected optical depth, obtained by correcting the acquired optical depth, and then, acquire, at each observation point, the solar irradiance intensity corresponding to the acquired corrected optical depth; and
store the acquired solar irradiance intensity at each of the plurality of observation points,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the estimation models of the solar irradiance intensities at the plurality of observation points based on the stored cloud state data, the stored solar irradiance intensities, and the stored environmental information.

9. A solar irradiance intensity estimation method comprising:
generating estimation models of solar irradiance intensities at a plurality of observation points based on cloud state data, and based on solar irradiance intensities measured at the plurality of obse

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Kakimoto Mitsuru
• Shin Hiromasa
• Endoh Yusuke
• Shiga Yoshiaki

Classifications

• G01W1/12 Primary

  Sunshine duration recorders (measuring intensity of sunshine G01J) · CPC title

• G01J1/42

  using electric radiation detectors (optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10) · CPC title

• G01W1/10

  Devices for predicting weather conditions (computers per se G06; display devices G09) · CPC title

• G01J2001/4285

  Pyranometer, i.e. integrating over space · CPC title

• G01J1/0228

  Control of working procedures; Failure detection; Spectral bandwidth calculation · CPC title