Photovoltaic Power Prediction Based on Hybrid Deep Learning Networks and Meteorological Data

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Feb 29;24(5):1593. doi: 10.3390/s24051593.

Abstract

Conventional point prediction methods encounter challenges in accurately capturing the inherent uncertainty associated with photovoltaic power due to its stochastic and volatile nature. To address this challenge, we developed a robust prediction model called QRKDDN (quantile regression and kernel density estimation deep learning network) by leveraging historical meteorological data in conjunction with photovoltaic power data. Our aim is to enhance the accuracy of deterministic predictions, interval predictions, and probabilistic predictions by incorporating quantile regression (QR) and kernel density estimation (KDE) techniques. The proposed method utilizes the Pearson correlation coefficient for selecting relevant meteorological factors, employs a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) for clustering similar days, and constructs a deep learning prediction model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) combined with a bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) and attention mechanism. The experimental results obtained using the dataset from the Australian DKASC Research Centre unequivocally demonstrate the exceptional performance of QRKDDN in deterministic, interval, and probabilistic predictions for photovoltaic (PV) power generation. The effectiveness of QRKDDN was further validated through ablation experiments and comparisons with classical machine learning models.

Keywords: deep learning hybrid model; photovoltaic power forecasting; probabilistic forecasting; quantile regression.

Grants and funding

This research study was funded by the Subproject IV of the National Key Research and Development Program of China, “Integrated Technology and Application of Multi-Energy Fusion for Water Transportation Ports and Ships (Demonstration Application)” (Project No.: SQ2021YFB2600063).