This project’s purpose was to address the growing need for better short-term solar energy planning by providing clear and reliable predictions. We developed a machine learning model to predict solar coverage of a given area for the next 5 to 10 minutes. The model was a convolutional neural network that took an image of overhead weather and solar radiation at the same time as inputs. Based on the input data, the model learned what features in the image related to varying solar radiation levels and then output a prediction of future solar radiation.
