PLANtoACT Task 2.1: Hourly profiles - Solar power

Regional Solar PV Power Profiles for the PLANtoACT Project

This dataset contains normalized hourly solar photovoltaic (PV) generation profiles developed for the PLANtoACT project (Task 2.2). The profiles represent the long-term PV generation behaviour of five European pilot regions, for four representative PV deployment categories, and are intended for use in energy system modelling, renewable energy assessment, and regional energy planning.

The dataset was generated using the PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System) API of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Ten years of hourly PV power time series were downloaded for each region and deployment category, combining one or more representative mounting sub-configurations (tilt, azimuth, and tracking type) into an aggregated regional profile, which was then normalized while preserving the long-term equivalent full-load hours (Heq).

The dataset accompanies the scripts available in the corresponding GitLab repository.

Study Regions

The dataset contains solar PV generation profiles for the following regions:

PV Deployment Categories

For each region, profiles are provided for four PV deployment categories, each built from one or more mounting sub-configurations:

Dataset Structure

Each regional folder contains one sub-folder per PV deployment category, with the following files:

The dataset also includes, at the top level:

• comparison_heq.png, comparing average equivalent full-load hours across all five regions and all four PV categories;
• Normalized_Profiles_<Category>_2024.png (one per category), comparing the normalized PV generation profiles across all study regions.

Data Generation Methodology

The regional solar PV profiles were generated according to the following workflow:

1. A representative coordinate pair (latitude/longitude) was defined for each of the five pilot regions.
2. For each region and PV deployment category, hourly PV power output was downloaded from the PVGIS seriescalc API (SARAH-3 database) for a nominal 1 kWp crystalline-silicon system, for each mounting sub-configuration (tilt, azimuth, fixed or single-axis tracking) and over a ten-year period.
3. Sub-configuration time series were summed on a common hourly index and divided by the number of sub-configurations to obtain an aggregated regional profile.
4. Annual equivalent full-load hours (Heq) were calculated for each sub-configuration and for the aggregated profile, for every simulated year.
5. The aggregated 10-year profile was normalized using its own maximum observed generation.
6. A non-linear correction factor was applied to the most recent year to preserve the 10-year average annual equivalent full-load hours while maintaining the hourly and seasonal variability of that year.
7. Final normalized hourly profiles were exported for both standard (8760-hour) and leap-year (8784-hour) calendars, the latter obtained by duplicating the last 24 hours of the standard-year profile.

Data Format

The profile_final_8760h / profile_final_8784h files contain a single column:

Each row represents one hour of the year. The annual energy production can be reconstructed by multiplying the normalized profile by the corresponding regional and category-specific physical equivalent full-load hours (Heq), reported in profile_metadata.json and heq_by_year.csv.

Intended Applications

The dataset is intended for:

• Energy system modelling
• Renewable energy scenario analysis
• Regional energy planning
• Capacity expansion modelling
• Long-term electricity system simulations
• Sector coupling studies
• Academic research

Software

The dataset was generated using Python together with the following libraries:

• pandas
• NumPy
• SciPy
• Matplotlib
• Requests

Hourly solar PV generation data were obtained using the PVGIS API of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.

Related Software

The scripts used to generate this dataset are available from the associated GitLab repository:

PLANtoACT Task 2.2 – Regional Solar PV Power Profile Generation

Funding

This work was developed within the PLANtoACT project.

The PLANtoACT project has received funding from the European Union's LIFE Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101214506 (LIFE-2024-CET), managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.

Citation

If you use this dataset in your work, please cite both the Zenodo record and the associated software repository: PLANtoACT / task_2_1 / Solar PV Power Hourly Profiles · GitLab, https://gitlab.inf.unibz.it/plantoact/task_2_1/solar_power_hourly_profiles.