Accuracy and Convergence Analysis of Software Tools for Solar Energy Assessment

The main purpose of this article is to evaluate how accurate the solar energy forecasting software works, taking as references the measurements of energy levels recorded in different locations. The novelty of the article consists in evaluating the software delivery results according to the settings of the parameter simulation: time steps, integrations methods, losses due to deviation from standard solar spectrum, diffuse irradiation models, irradiation models on the inclined plane and others. The analytical investigations are carried out with the help of two EU certified software (PV-SOL and PV-GIS) dedicated to the solar forecast [1]. The experimental investigations, used for validation, are carried out at two different sites (West- and East-EU) on similar on-grid power conversion circuits. In detail, the behavior of both solar energy production systems is analyzed, by counting the amounts of generated energy over various sampling periods (day, month, year). Based on the mentioned comparison, conclusions regarding the parameter sensitivity and improvement of the estimated energy are drawn.