PVMAPS: Software tools and data for the estimation of solar radiation and photovoltaic module performance over large geographical areas

A set of computational tools and climatic data, tentatively named PVMAPS, is presented which makes it possible to calculate solar radiation and photovoltaic system power on inclined and/or sun-tracking surfaces over large geographical areas at arbitrarily high spatial resolution. Calculations of solar radiation and photovoltaic performance are done using validated models published in the scientific literature. The software has been implemented as modules in the open-source GRASS Geographical Information System and is delivered together with scripts to perform the calculations for any geographical region in the area covered by the data. The accompanying data set includes information about elevation, horizon height, average temperatures, solar radiation (direct and diffuse components) as well as data to calculate the effects of wind and spectral variations on PV performance. The geographical extent of the data at present includes Europe, Africa and most of Asia. All tools and data are freely available at no cost. (C) 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.