Analyzing the Efficiency of Horizontal Photovoltaic Cells at Air Force Installations in Various Climate Regions
Abstract
The U.S. Air Force relies heavily on electrically powered facilities to ensure mission-critical capabilities can be carried out. Without a resilient electrical system in place, the U.S. Air Force could be without power for extended periods, resulting in severe implications. Installing a photovoltaic array on an installation is one strategy to improve energy resiliency. The amount of power a photovoltaic array can produce is reliant on its geographical location, position and weather characteristics. This research presents the development of linear regression models based upon 14 case studies from global Department of Defense (DoD) installations to predict horizontal photovoltaic power output. The model incorporates Koeppen-Geiger climate classifications with location-specific weather and geographical variables to predict horizontal photovoltaic power production. Both Koeppen-Geiger climate and weather variables were determined to provide added value to the model. From the analysis, it was determined that weather variables were able to account for 22% more variation within the validation set compared to climate variables.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1077142
Entities
People
- Parker A. Hines
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology