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Inaccurate forecasting of photovoltaic (PV) power generation is a great concern in the planning and operation of stable and reliable electric grid systems as well as in promoting large-scale PV deployment. The paper proposes a generalized PV power forecasting model based on support vector regression, historical PV power output, and corresponding meteorological data. Weather conditions are broadly classified into two categories, namely, normal condition (clear sky) and abnormal condition (rainy or cloudy day). A generalized day-ahead forecasting model is developed to forecast PV power generation at any weather condition in a particular region. The proposed model is applied and experimentally validated by three different types of PV stations in the same location at different weather conditions. Furthermore, a conventional artificial neural network (ANN)-based forecasting model is utilized, using the same experimental data-sets of the proposed model. The analytical results showed that the proposed model achieved better forecasting accuracy with less computational complexity when compared with other models, including the conventional ANN model. The proposed model is also effective and practical in forecasting existing grid-connected PV power generation.

Increasing the forecasting accuracy of photovoltaic (PV)-generated power is currently an important topic, particularly in the maintenance of the stability and reliability of modern electric grid systems. In this study, a model based on a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-optimized support vector regression (SVR) is proposed for the accurate forecasting of PV output power. In the process, an SVR-based model is established based on the most influential historical experimental data collected from an actual PV power station. A PSO-based algorithm is adapted for the selection of dominant SVR-based model parameters and improvement of performance. Moreover, a novel data preparation algorithm is developed for the preparation of a solar irradiance pattern on the basis of weather conditions and the percentages of cloud cover collected from online weather forecast reports. Finally, the proposed model is experimentally verified by deploying it to three different PV systems (1875Wp, 2000Wp and 2700Wp). Analytical and experimental results indicate that the proposed forecasting model ensures improved accuracy. The nRMSE of the proposed forecasting model is 2.841%. The proposed model will be effective in forecasting PV output power in existing PV systems. A guideline for the accurately forecasting of PV output power in practical applications is presented.INDEX TERMS photovoltaic output power forecasting, particle swarm optimization, support vector regression, online weather report, optimized model.