Systems and methods for simulating time phased solar irradiance plots

A computing device for calculating non-reflected solar irradiance over a predetermined time period for a geographical area including a plurality of geographical points, said computing device coupled to a weather database, said computing device configured to:

• receive, via an input device, a first identifier corresponding to a beginning of the predetermined time period;
• receive, via the input device, a second identifier corresponding to an ending of the predetermined time period;
• receive, via the input device, a third identifier corresponding to an altitude that is an elevation above a surface of a planet;
• receive historical weather data from the weather database;
• receive, via a communication interface, current weather data from one or more weather station computing devices;
• generate, by the processor, a model of diffuse light and atmosphere attenuation for the plurality of geographic points, wherein the model is configured to determine a probability of an attenuating weather event occurring during at least a portion of the predetermined time period at each of the plurality of geographic points based on the altitude, and wherein the probability is determined from the historical weather data and the current weather data;
• determine solar parameters;
• determine an amount of non-reflected solar irradiance for each geographical point at the altitude for each of a plurality of time intervals within the predetermined time period, based at least on the probability and the solar parameters;
• generate, by the processor, an animation of the non-reflected solar irradiance over the predetermined time period;
• and
• output, on a display device of the computing device, the animation of non-reflected solar irradiance over the predetermined time period.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for calculating non-reflected solar irradiance over a predetermined time period for a geographical area including a plurality of geographical points, wherein when executed by a computing device coupled to a weather database and having at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to:

• receive, via an input device, a first identifier corresponding to a beginning of the predetermined time period;
• receive, via the input device, a second identifier corresponding to an ending of the predetermined time period;
• receive, via the input device, a third identifier corresponding to an altitude that is an elevation above a surface of a planet;
• receive historical weather data from the weather database;
• receive, via a communication interface, current weather data from one or more weather station computing devices;
• generate, by the at least one processor, a model of diffuse light and atmosphere attenuation for the plurality of geographic points, wherein the model is configured to determine a probability of an attenuating weather event occurring during at least a portion of the predetermined time period at each of the plurality of geographic points based on the altitude, and wherein the probability is determined from the historical weather data and the current weather data;
• determine solar parameters;
• determine an amount of non-reflected solar irradiance for each geographical point at the altitude for each of a plurality of time intervals within the predetermined time period, based at least on the probability and the solar parameters;
• generate, by the at least one processor, an animation of the non-reflected solar irradiance over the predetermined time period;
• and
• output, on a display device of the computing device, the animation of non-reflected solar irradiance over the predetermined time period.