Validation of the MERRA dataset for solar PV applications

Accurate solar radiation data are necessary to model solar photovoltaic (PV) systems; unfortunately, ground-measured or satellite-derived data are not universally available. The MERRA reanalysis dataset offers hourly solar radiation data for the entire globe. The accuracy of the MERRA dataset has been evaluated using ground measurements of solar radiation, but it has never been evaluated for use as an input for PV modeling. This study uses measured solar radiation and PV production data to evaluate the suitability of the MERRA solar data for PV modeling. The results indicate that MERRA solar data produces slightly higher errors than ground-measured solar data, but overall the accuracy is suitable for most PV applications.