ESA project heralds bright future for European solar energy

Brussels, 30 Jun 2005

At this time of year it may feel like Europe is bathed in sunshine for weeks at a time, but the amount of sunlight we receive (also known as ground radiance) is part of a complex system, and is affected by variations in cloud cover, humidity, aerosols and ozone.

One of the most effective methods for measuring ground radiance is using Earth observation satellites, such as the European Space Agency's (ESA) second generation Meteosat, which provides accurate and continent-wide measurements of ground radiance every 15 minutes.

The availability of irradiance data is of vital importance for the solar energy industry, which currently has an annual turnover of 1 billion euro in Europe, and is predicted to rise to 2.5 billion by 2010. Typically, such data are used to choose plant locations and provide estimates of likely energy yield for investors. However, a project funded by ESA is currently integrating near real-time ground radiance measurements with solar energy business practices, in order to ensure the optimal operating conditions for solar energy plants.

The ENVISOLAR partners are developing a range of services based on ESA's satellite radiance data, including solar plant yield estimates, plant fault detection and performance checking, energy forecasting and irradiance maps and statistics.

The CEO of one of the project's customers, Uwe Ingleman of SAG Solarstrom AG, emphasises the benefits of satellite technology for gathering such data, saying: 'We need solid information for investment decisions, especially with regard to future markets like Spain. The sampling and spatial resolution of ground-based data is too coarse - for example in Spain there are only 30 sites available at the moment.'

And there are a number of other potential users of ENVISOLAR services besides climate scientists and solar energy plants, for example farmers, architects and even PVC manufacturing companies. One such manufacturer used ENVISOLAR's solar service (SoDa) to study how ultraviolet radiation in sunlight degrades PVC building materials, allowing them to tailor their warranties to local conditions, while medical researchers are using radiance maps to investigate the links between sunlight and health.

For further information, please consult the following web address:
http://www.envisolar.com

CORDIS RTD-NEWS / © European Communities
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