The first edition of the Brazilian Solar Energy Atlas was launched in 2006 based on ten years of data from the GOES series satellites and the BRAZIL-SR physical model of radiative transfer, validated with data observed at 98 weather stations operated by INMET (National Institute of Meteorology) and spread throughout the country. At the time of the launch, the SONDA network (Sistema de Organização Nacional de Dados Ambientais), operated by INPE, had recently entered into operation and contributed to the validation process with only three years of solarimetric data of the three components of solar irradiation on the surface: global horizontal, direct normal and diffuse. This pioneering edition of the Atlas was an important milestone in the history of solar energy in Brazil and is still employed today by several researchers and entrepreneurs in solar energy.
After more than ten years, the Center for Terrestrial System Science (CCST) of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), through its Laboratory for Modeling and Studies of Renewable Energy Resources (LABREN), is pleased to publish the second edition, expanded and revised, of the Brazilian Atlas of Solar Energy. It is an example of cooperative work between INPE and researchers from various institutions in Brazil: the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), and the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC).
For this new edition, more than 17 years of satellite data have been used. Several advances have been implemented in the BRAZIL-SR radiative transfer model's parameterization, aiming to improve further the reliability and accuracy of the database produced and made available for public access. In addition to these advances, the new version contains analyses on confidence levels, on the spatial and temporal variability of the solar resource, and presents scenarios for the use of various solar technologies. Although the focus of the Atlas is on the energy area, the
The data presented also serves users in several other areas of knowledge, such as meteorology, climatology, agriculture, hydrology, and architecture.
This Atlas had the National Institute of Science and Technology for Climate Change (INCT-MC) scientific contribution through processes CNPq 573797/2008-0 and FAPESP 2008/57719-9, which supported the research phase, consolidation, and its final assembly. We can also thank and share this moment with the Petrobras Research Center (CENPES) which, through the ANEEL PD-0553-0013/2010 Project with INPE, provided the crucial financial support for the improvement of the BRAZIL-SR model, as well as for the expansion, operation, and maintenance of the SONDA solarimetric network. The credits are also addressed to the Brazilian Research Network on Global Climate Change, through the FINEP / Rede CLIMA 01.13.0353-00 agreement, for the support in the rounds phase of the model, and to other INPE colleagues, particularly the Laboratory of Meteorological Instrumentation (LIM), the Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies (CPTEC), which provided logistical support to this work since the first edition of the Atlas. We are also grateful for the institutional support of the National Electrical Energy Agency (ANEEL) and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) for recognizing the scientific merit of this publication as an important milestone for the penetration of solar technology in Brazil. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)