Forecasting of solar energy with application for a growing economy like India: Survey and implication

Solar energy is going to play a measure role in the future global energy supply. Its acceptance has already been on rise in developing countries like India, where there is acute shortage of energy due to economic and other climatic reasons. Forecasting or predicting the future output of solar energy is a much needed step to integrate high insolation of solar energy to the nation's power grid. Due to the fluctuating nature of solar energy, an efficient use is possible depending on reliable forecast information and its availability in various time and spatial scales. The current status of forecasting of solar irradiance for energy generation proposes a review of solar radiation prediction and its application in a rapidly increasing economy like India. Various models are developed for analysis which can be developed either by empirical, soft computing or by simulation approach.