SATellite Retrieval of 3D spectral Irradiance to improve the estimation of Solar Energy production (SATRISE)

The SATRISE project (Satellite Retrieval of 3D Spectral Irradiance to improve the estimation of Solar Energy production) aims to enhance the accuracy of solar irradiance estimation for photovoltaic (PV) energy production by exploiting European Earth Observation (EO) satellite data.

Current PV modelling tools largely rely on global horizontal irradiance (GHI) datasets, which do not adequately represent angular and spectral irradiance variations in complex environments. SATRISE addresses these limitations by developing and validating a novel, satellite-based approach to retrieve detailed 3D spectral irradiance fields from ESA missions using Rayference’s CISAR algorithm, and integrating them into LuciSun’s GPU-based 3D simulation software, LuSim.

Rayference will process one year of satellite data over two test sites—Copenhagen (DTU, Denmark) and Jaén (UJA, Spain)—using CISAR to retrieve spectral downward irradiance fields and corresponding atmospheric properties (aerosols, clouds, albedo). These outputs will then be reformatted and integrated into LuSim to simulate irradiance on complex PV geometries, enabling improved modelling of angular and spectral effects in realistic environments.

By combining Rayference’s expertise in radiative transfer inversion with LuciSun’s advanced 3D simulation capabilities, SATRISE will provide a major step forward in integrating EO-based data into PV engineering tools. It will yield high-resolution 3D irradiance maps and improved predictive models for energy yield, offering clear advantages in investment planning, system optimisation, and uncertainty reduction.