Renewable Energy Forecast — India
VayuMet's Renewable Energy layer maps solar and wind resource potential across India from NOAA GFS forecast fields — solar radiation flux, a wind power potential index at 100 m turbine hub height, sunshine duration, and downward longwave radiation. Built for wind and solar site planning and short-range generation forecasting.
What's on the Map
- Solar Radiation (6h) — downward shortwave radiation flux in W/m², a proxy for solar generation potential at a given location and time.
- Wind Energy Potential — a wind power density index (W/m²) derived from GFS 100 m wind fields, the standard hub height for utility-scale turbines.
- Sunshine Duration (6h) — hours of bright sunshine per 6-hour period, useful for solar yield estimation.
- Barbs 100m — animated wind direction and speed barbs at 100 m, for visualising wind resource corridors.
- Downward LW Radiation — downward longwave radiation flux (W/m²), relevant to nighttime cooling and panel thermal performance.
Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and temperature-derated PV potential are available for every district on the 10-day meteogram. Direct normal irradiance (DNI), needed for concentrating solar and tracking systems, is not yet forecast.
Questions This Page Answers
- How many hours will a wind site spend in its full-power band each day?
- Which days carry storm cut-out risk or a steep ramp in output?
- Which days will cloud or afternoon heat cut solar PV output?
How to Read It
- Power rises with the cube of wind speed — double the wind and the available power rises about eightfold, so small speed errors become large output errors.
- Reference turbine bands at 100 m: below about 12.6 km/h no power; 12.6–46.8 km/h ramp-up; 46.8–90 km/h full power; 90 km/h and above, cut-out.
- Sunlight is not panel output. Hot afternoons raise cell temperature and derate PV, so a clear, very hot day can yield less than its irradiance suggests.
- Maps screen regions; districts plan days. Use the map to compare corridors, and the district Energy tab for dated generation calls.
Go Deeper
- District 10-Day Forecast — the Energy tab shows global horizontal irradiance (GHI), temperature-derated PV and 100 m wind with dated advisories.
- Wind speed is not wind power — how VayuMet computes wind power density, air density and derated PV.
- Cloud Cover Forecast — the cloud layers behind low-yield solar days.
Data Source
| Dataset | Operator | Resolution | Update Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFS (Global Forecast System) | NOAA / NCEP | 0.25° | 4× daily (00Z, 06Z, 12Z, 18Z) |
Who Uses This
Wind and solar power potential maps support site screening for new wind and solar installations, short-range generation forecasting for grid operators, and operations planning for existing wind farms and solar parks across India.