Institute of Geography
Topic
Scale dependency of accuracy in satellite-based surface solar radiation models
PhD. program
Physical Geography, Geoecology and Geoinformatics
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Daniel Szatmári, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava
Annotation
Models using geostationary satellite data to estimate surface solar radiation globally are instrumental to the wider adoption of solar electricity production and energy transition in general. The accuracy of such models, typically evaluated against point-based ground measurements, is a key property that has direct economic consequences for users of the data in the solar industry. With the advent of new generations of geostationary satellite instruments, the pixel size of visible spectrum images has gradually decreased from 3 km to 0.5 km while the temporal frequency dropped from 30 to 5 minutes. Moreover, the pixel size is poised to halve in the next decade. This brings the spatial basis of the model closer to the one of measurements, potentially improving the fit. However, the increased resolution presents significantly higher computation and storage costs. There are additional challenges, such as the need for precise georeference, cloud parallax and shadow effects, and resolution differences between visible and infrared channels. The dissertation aims to analyse the feasibility, benefits and pitfalls of solar radiation modelling at 1 km and finer resolutions. The candidate gets an opportunity to collaborate with a major solar data and solutions provider Solargis s.r.o., and work with experts with extensive expertise in the field including utilisation of data and processing infrastructure.