Surface Albedo Prediction Using Random Forests

With rising concerns over climate change, there is an increasing need for renewable energy sources. Photovoltaic(PV) systems are one of the most environmentally friendly ways of producing energy. However, the fluctuations in power outputs from utility scale PV arrays makes it difficult to incorporate them into electric grids. The power output is directly related to the irradiance and the irradiance is related to the surface albedo, which is the fraction of sunlight reflected by a surface. If we can predict the surface albedo, we can predict the power output. Using random forest regression, we can make predictions of the power output based on various features. In response to this prediction, the topology of the system may be reconfigured.