UNISOLAR: An Open Dataset of Photovoltaic Solar Energy Generation in a Large Multi-Campus University Setting

We introduce an open dataset of high-granularity Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation, solar irradiance, and weather data from 42 PV sites deployed across five campuses at La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia. The dataset includes approximately two years of PV solar energy generation data collected at 15-minute intervals. Geographical placement and engineering specifications for each of the sites are also provided to aid researchers in modelling solar energy generation. Weather data is available at 1-minute intervals and is provided by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Apparent temperature, air temperature, dew point temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction were provided under the weather data. The paper describes the data collection methods, cleaning, and merging with weather data. This dataset can be used to forecast, benchmark, and enhance operational outcomes in solar sites.