In an attempt to optimize high resolution forecast-observation comparisons, the Army Research Laboratory is constructing a gridded sensor array in New Mexico, called the Meteorological Sensor Array (MSA). Phase I of this long term project will assemble the infrastructure and execute a Proof of Concept (PoC) Test of the MSA design. The PoC Test consists of five equally-distant towers sampling the standard meteorological parameters and insolation: three 10m towers along a north-south axis, west of a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Farm, and two 10m towers along an east-west axis, situated east of a Solar PV Farm. In Phase I, the process for collecting the measurements and validating model output will be tested using a microscale model whose grid coincides with the MSA tower array. Investigative research into the environmental impacts of a large Solar PV Farm will also be pursued. In this paper, we capture the overall MSA design, the Phase I Test Plan and some of the anticipated applications for the current and future MSA.
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