Solar Forecasting and the Integration of Solar Generation to the Grid

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the scarcity of fossil fuels and increasing energy needs, the large-scale deployment of solar technologies (particularly the deployment of solar photovoltaics) is accelerating. This deployment comes within the fight against climate change, in a context of sustainable development.

According to national and international regulations, mainly concerned with voltage constraints, current levels, and voltage drop gradients, grid operators are contractually obligated to maintain steady and reliable service to their customers. Over the past few years, power distribution grids have been undergoing major changes due to the increasing penetration of renewable-energy-based distributed generation, particularly photovoltaic power generation. This penetration has caused a large number of stability, quality, and safety issues. Power injection by distributed generators results in bidirectional power flow, and is irregular. This is mainly due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources.

Within this context, the smart grid paradigm has emerged as a solution to monitoring and control problems facing power distribution grid operators: the enhancement of grid observability, through an advanced metering infrastructure and the forecasting of grid load and distributed generation, paves the way for smart management strategies that keep the balance between supply and demand.

This Special Issue (entitled Solar Forecasting and the Integration of Solar Generation to the Grid) therefore focuses on the large-scale deployment of solar technologies and the increasing penetration of renewable-energy-based distributed generation in the electrical system, particularly solar photovoltaic power generation. We therefore invite original papers (novel technical developments, reviews, and case studies) addressing solar resource forecasting, the smart management of the distributed generation, and the issues related with the penetration of such a generation in the electrical system.

Prof. Dr. Stéphane Grieu
Dr. Stéphane Thil
Guest Editors

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