Solar irradiance forecasting for the management of solar energy systems

Solar energy is expected to contribute major shares of the future global energy supply. Due to its fluctuating nature an efficient use will require reliable forecast information of its availability in various time and spatial scales depending on the application. The current status of forecasting solar irradiance for energy generation purposes is briefly reviewed with respect to very short-term forecasting (up to a few hours) and forecasts for up to two days mainly for use in utility applications.