A Satellite-Based Method for Forecasting Solar Radiation Part I: Cloud Motion and Trajectory Modeling

Advanced imagery from instruments onboard geostationary and/or polar orbit satellites provide measurements of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the earth's atmosphere at visible, near-infrared, and infrared channels. In Asia, the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Himawari-8 satellite provides a unique opportunity to exploit its high frequency imagery capabilities (every 10 min) that can be used to detect and characterize cloud physical and optical characteristics as well as to enhance cloud motion/transport algorithms with possible applications to short and medium term solar radiation forecasting.