Physics-based solar modelling
From sunlight to system behaviour.
A solar plant is a connected physical system. AridMetrics follows the relationships between site conditions, tracker geometry, irradiance and energy conversion before interpreting an optimisation result. Model definition, evidence and uncertainty come first.
Modelling approach under active validation
The physical chain
Understand what each stage passes forward.
Solar conditions and plant geometry determine POA irradiance through direct, sky-diffuse and ground-reflected contributions. Row shading modifies the direct component; sky- and ground-view relationships affect the others. That irradiance informs temperature and electrical conversion.
Solar position, irradiance components and weather
Orientation, pitch, GCR and row relationships
Irradiance incident on the module plane
- Direct / beam
- Including row-shading effects
- Sky diffuse
- Including sky-view restrictions
- Ground reflected
- Including ground-view relationships
- Module temperature
Irradiance and ambient conditions
- DC conversion
Module electrical behaviour
- Inverter / AC system
Conversion and system constraints
- Optimization
Compare decisions within constraints
Inputs and conventions
Solar & weather inputs
Solar zenith and azimuth describe the sun's direction. Global horizontal irradiance (GHI), direct normal irradiance (DNI) and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) describe different components and reference planes; they cannot be interchanged without the appropriate geometry and assumptions.
Location, timestamps, units and averaging conventions belong with those inputs. Ambient temperature and wind can inform thermal modelling where the selected method and available data support them.
Geometry and light reception
Geometry & row shading
Tracker angle and axis orientation determine the receiving surface. Pitch, collector width and adjacent-row geometry determine how one row can obstruct another. For regular parallel rows, GCR expresses collector width relative to pitch; it is not the changing horizontal projection of a rotating panel.
Plane-of-array irradiance combines direct, sky-diffuse and ground-reflected contributions. Direct shading changes beam reception, while the surrounding geometry can also restrict the visible sky and ground. These mechanisms need explicit assumptions; a direct-shadow calculation alone does not describe every irradiance contribution.
- Direct / beam
- Solar position, orientation and row shading
- Sky diffuse
- Visible sky and neighbouring-row restrictions
- Ground reflected
- Ground reflectance and ground-view relationships
From received light to electricity
Energy conversion
Energy modelling connects the light reaching the modules to their electrical response and the system boundary. The thermal state matters alongside irradiance. Ambient, module and cell temperatures are related but not interchangeable quantities.
- POA irradiance
Incident irradiance
- Module temperature
Thermal conditions
- DC conversion
Module behaviour
- Inverter / system
Conversion and limits
- AC output
System response
Optimisation is downstream
A better search cannot repair an unsupported model.
An optimiser searches the behaviour of the model it is given. It cannot establish that the model describes the real plant, or resolve a missing measurement. A finely resolved search can still produce a conclusion that depends on an unsuitable assumption.
- 01Define
- State the physical model, objectives and decision constraints.
- 02Evaluate
- Check relevant behaviour against suitable measured evidence.
- 03Qualify
- Consider uncertainty and the conditions covered by that evidence.
- 04Version
- Keep conclusions tied to the method that produced them.