Quantifying solar power variability for a large central PV plant and small distributed PV plant

Photovoltaic energy is susceptible to high variability, caused by passing clouds that may affect a site's daily energy production substantially. The reduction in solar variability due to geographic diversity was compared for a large central PV plant and small distributed PV plants using a multistep approach. At short timescales, geographic smoothing offers a strong benefit, which decreases with longer timescales and increased spatial correlation. The design attributes and relative locations of individual PV systems on a distribution feeder could significantly change the geographic dispersion effects.