| Work Detail |
In a new weekly update for pv magazine , Solcast, a DNV company, reports that summer weather and a heat dome have caused increased irradiance on both US coasts. As a result, irradiance over most of the continental United States was moderately above average, 5% to 10% above historical June averages, with the most notable increase over the east coast.
Summer weather and a heat dome have led to increased irradiance on both U.S. coasts, with the greatest impact in the Northeast, while New Mexico and regions across the Midwest experienced below-average irradiance due to increased cloudiness and atmospheric disturbances, according to analysis using the Solcast API .
Over most of the continental United States, irradiance was moderately above average, 5% to 10% above historical June averages, with the most notable increase along the East Coast. The “heat dome” that dominated much of June was accompanied by a subsidence of the upper atmosphere that suppressed cloud formation, allowing more sunlight to reach the ground. In contrast, the Gulf of Mexico saw increased precipitation and cloud cover. However, prevailing winds kept most of this cloud cover offshore, except off the Florida tip. The Great Lakes area experienced irradiance up to 10% below average as the additional heat promoted evaporation and cloud formation.
Despite the heat wave, irradiance in New Mexico was between 5% and 10% below usual levels. This deviation was caused by a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico, which was observed on June 19. This disturbance brought moisture and atmospheric instability, triggering thunderstorms over New Mexico a few days later.
These storms caused flash flooding and large hail to hit the region. While these events are not widespread enough to completely extinguish the wildfires across the state, they have impacted solar panel performance. Hail can damage and destroy solar panels, but many commercial-scale solar farms at this latitude employ single-axis tracking systems that can position panels vertically to reduce the risk of damage. Wildfire smoke also impacts irradiance by fouling panels and reducing light transmission through the atmosphere.
This year, the summer solstice took place on June 20. As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky in the northern hemisphere, irradiation usually also peaks at this time of year in North America. However, in Central America, this is somewhat offset by the increased cloudiness of the tropical wet season.
Solcast produces these figures by globally tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2 km resolution, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms . This data is used to drive irradiance models, allowing Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with a typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud tracking forecasts. This data is used by over 300 companies managing over 150 GW of solar assets worldwide. |
