Prior to planning a renewable energy project of any scale, it is essential to determine where the abundant resources exist, understand their characteristics, and validate their quality. AWS Truepower possesses in-depth knowledge and expertise in resource assessment campaign design and management. Our in-house meteorologists, engineers and field technicians employ advanced computer models and high-resolution resource maps to minimize upfront investment and ensure smart resource assessment campaign design.
AWS Truepower (AWST) utilizes site screening tools and long-term solar insolation to determine resource potential and identify new opportunities for solar energy development. When evaluating sites, we look at numerous criteria such as solar resource characteristics, existing land use and area, proximity to transmission, thermal screening for line excess capacity, shading impacts and other important siting parameters. And when multiple sites are under consideration, the calculated cost of energy, load matching quality, and other factors play a part in rankings. These comprehensive assessments provide developers with a better understanding of parcel value and help prioritize next steps.
AWST further analyzes promising sites for solar resource potential by determining the long-term solar resource means and variability statistics (annual, monthly, diurnal) for the principal insolation components (direct, diffuse, and global). This analysis relies on multiple insolation databases, local/regional measurements and modeled results from satellites or numerical weather prediction simulations. Using this analysis, our experienced staff can characterize the uncertainty of the insolation projection.
AWST‘s site evaluation and prospecting services qualify and prioritize development opportunities.
A thorough understanding of a project site’s solar resource is an essential element to prospecting, detailed project engineering and financing. Publicly available data sources are often used for preliminary site assessment, but imperfect data and models, complex cloud or solar climates, and other factors can combine to create significant uncertainties. With an increase in project size from tens to hundreds of megawatts, a much more rigorous approach is needed to accurately determine a site’s potential.
To meet those needs, AWS Truepower (AWST) designs customized solar resource measurement programs. Our comprehensive approach includes procurement and management of the monitoring station, installation at client-specified locations, station operations and maintenance support, data collection, and routine analysis to ensure that quality standards are continuously met. Data analysis for any measurement error, anomalies, or other inconsistencies on a regular basis, ensures a robust data set for use in detailed energy analysis and project assessment.