Validation of The Bureau of Meteorology’s Global, Diffuse, and Direct Solar Exposure Forecasts Using the ACCESS Numerical Weather Prediction Systems

Abstract

AbstractForecast solar exposure fields produced by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s updated numerical weather prediction systems were validated against multiple sites for the 2012 calendar year. The updated systems are denoted as the Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS) model and became operational in August 2010. The systems are based on the Met Office’s Unified Model and feature improved assimilation methods and radiation parameterizations that were expected to greatly improve forecasts of solar exposure several days in advance. In this study forecasts of global, direct, and diffuse exposure from the mesoscale model ACCESS-A were validated. Statistics were generated for all-sky and clear-sky conditions. Additionally, evaluation of the model’s forecast exposure through single-layer low clouds was conducted. Results show an improvement in global forecasts relative to the older operational model; however, forecasts of diffuse and direct exposure still suffer from large biases. These can be attributed to the choices of the asymmetry factor used in the two-stream approximation for incoming radiation, which determines scattering of the direct beam through clouds.