The Solar Irradiance Mapping Initiative (SIMI)

SIMI is a proof-of-feasibility project that combines state-of-the-art satellite and radar data image processing with real-time data from ground solar stations in order to determine solar energy availability for the atmospheric conditions found in California. The web-based, near real-time information database generated by SIMI will provide a direct estimate of both current and prospective power availability for solar-based technologies in the state of California. The data will be used in decisionmaking egarding installation, incentives and policies for solar technologies through the consideration of complex geographical (direct solar availability, cloudiness index, elevation) and financial constraints. One of the important deliverable technologies of this initiative is an operational web-based GIS (Geographic Information System) that will facilitate the promotion and management of solar energy utilization in California.

UC Merced and UC Davis researchers will deploy two solar stations equipped with calibration-grade (secondary) instruments to measure local global, diffuse and direct normal insolation. The data from the ground stations will be correlated with weather, geo-stationary and hyperspectral satellite data (GOES-W, MODIS, IKONOS) in order to produce a robust physical method for determination of solar irradiance that incorporates the specific atmospheric conditions (aerosols, vapor content, cloudiness index, etc) found in California.