The ESA - ENVISOLAR project : experience on the commercial use of Earth observation based solar surface irradiance measurements for energy business purposes.
Résumé
Within the Earth Observation Market and Development (EOMD) programme at the European Space Agency (ESA) the ENVISOLAR project aims at an intensified usage of Earth Observation based information products in the solar energy industries. Existing services for investment decision, plant management, load forecasting and for science and consulting rely on high quality surface solar irradiance measurements and credible processing chains to deliver such information regularly. The ENVISOLAR consortium has identified a list of blockages preventing the increased use of Earth Observation techniques up to now. Parallel to ENVISOLAR, the EU 5. Framework project HELIOSAT-3 develops a new physically based method to derive surface solar irradiance. It is analysed how the new Heliosat-3 method helps to solve such blockages. Additionally, it is reported how ENVISOLAR intends to solve some of the blockages identified within its project duration.