Analysis of solar radiation measurements for decentralized solar energy usage in the New York City metropolitan area

The Tri-state metropolitan area, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, is a huge consumer of electricity in the country. At the same time, solar radiation is abundant in all seasons including winter. Thus high solar energy supply coincides with day times and seasons of high electricity demand from air-conditioning and heating systems in this densely populated region. However, only decentralized photo -voltaic modules that feed a common grid can be widely used, due to the sub-/urban character of this region. Here, the potential of decentralized solar energy use in the Tri-state metropolitan area will be investigated. For this study, high quality solar radiation observations in and around New York City are used in combination with daily electricity prize data. Time series of solar radiation and electricity prizes are statistically analyzed and interpreted for different seasons and day times. Preliminary results of this study will be presented, including the influence of clouds and air-pollution as well as statistics of ramping effects.