ABSTRACT
Solar energy has great potential for use in generation of electricity and as with all weather-driven sources of renewable energy, it is vital to understand the resource. This paper describes the approach that has been taken by 3TIER to generate high-resolution solar information. To date this work has been completed for the Western Hemisphere and therefore the validation portion of this paper will primarily discuss the results using results from the USA. However, similar work is being undertaken for other regions around the world. 3TIER are presently processing the data from the GMS05, GOES9 and MTSAT-1R satellites; shortly this will be ready for use in solar assessments for Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and most of Eastern Asia.
Keywords: remote sensing, renewable energy, satellite imagery, solar assessment