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At any site, the bankability of a projected solar power plant largely depends on the accuracy and general quality of the solar radiation data generated during the solar resource assessment phase. The term “site adaptation” has recently started to be used in the framework of solar energy projects to refer to the improvement that can be achieved in satellite-derived solar irradiance and model data when short-term local ground measurements are used to correct systematic errors and bias in the original dataset. This contribution presents a preliminary survey of different possible techniques that can improve long-term satellite-derived and model-derived solar radiation data through the use of short-term on-site ground measurements. The possible approaches that are reported here may be applied in different ways, depending on the origin and characteristics of the uncertainties in the modeled data. This work, which is the first step of a forthcoming in-depth assessment of methodologies for site adaptation, has been done within the framework of the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Task 46 “Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting”

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In cystic fibrosis patients, chronic lung infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the associated decline in lung function are the major cause of mortality. In this report, we show that pyocin S2 displays potent activity against P. aeruginosa biofilms, thus representing a potentially improved therapeutic option. Using an invertebrate model of P. aeruginosa infection, we also show that pyocin S2 is highly active in vivo. Due to the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria and the poor efficacy of existing treatments against chronic bacterial infection, there is a critical requirement for the development of novel classes of antibiotics (4,14). This is exemplified in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, for whom, despite aggressive antibiotic therapy, chronic lung infection with P. aeruginosa and the concomitant intense inflammatory response leads to a progressive loss of lung function and is the major proven cause of mortality among this group of patients (8, 11).An alternative strategy for antibiotic discovery is to utilize the narrow-spectrum antibiotics used by bacteria for intraspecies competition. In Gram-negative bacteria, these often take the form of high-molecular-weight protein antibiotics known as bacteriocins (6,7,13). In this report, we show that pyocin S2 displays potent activity in vitro against clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa growing in the biofilm state. Further to this, pyocin S2 is highly active in an invertebrate model of P. aeruginosa infection.P. aeruginosa grows predominantly as a biofilm in the CFinfected lung, and this state is associated with high levels of resistance to small-molecule antibiotics (6, 9). To determine if pyocins display potent activity against P. aeruginosa growing in the biofilm state, we first cloned the genes for pyocin S2 (2) and its immunity protein ImS2 into an Escherichia coli expression vector and expressed and purified the protein in complex with its immunity protein.The pyocin S2-ImS2 complex was isolated by nickel affinity chromatography by virtue of an engineered C-terminal His 6 tag on the immunity protein (Fig. 1a). The purified pyocin S2-ImS2 complex was highly active against P. aeruginosa growing on LB A 5-fold serial dilution (starting concentration, 2 mg/ml [top left]) of pyocin S2-ImS2 was spotted onto a lawn of growing P. aeruginosa strain YHP17 which was grown overnight at 37°C. Clear zones indicate cell death. (c) Activity of pyocin S2-ImS2 against P. aeruginosa biofilms. Biofilms (24 h) of P. aeruginosa YHP14 were grown on poly-L-lysine glass cover slides, treated with a pyocin S2 at 3 g/ml and 64 g/ml for 1 h, and visualized by fluorescence microscopy using LIVE/DEAD cell viability staining. Red, dead cells; green, live cells.

Designing, financing, and operating successful solar heating, concentrating solar power, and photovoltaic systems requires reliable information about the solar resource available and its variability over time. In the past, seasonal and daily variability has been studied and understood; however, with new solar technologies becoming more important in energy supply grids, small time-scale effects are critical to successful deployment of these important low carbon technologies. A vital part of the bankability of solar projects is to understand the variability of the solar resource so that supply and storage technologies can be optimized. This handbook is the result of 10 years of international collaboration carried out by experts from the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC), Solar PACES, and Photovoltaic Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programmes. Under IEA SHC Task 46: Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting, experts from 11 countries produced information products and best practices on solar energy resources that will greatly benefit project developers and system operators as well as assist policymakers in advancing renewable energy programs worldwide.Meteorologists, mathematicians, solar technology specialists, and other key solar resource experts from around the world joined forces to further our understanding of the sun's temporal and spatial variability through benchmarking satellite-derived solar resource data and solar forecasts, developing best practices for measuring the solar resource, and conducting research to improve satellite-based algorithms. The results of IEA SHC Task 46 are useful to a wide range of users of solar heating and cooling, photovoltaics, and concentrating solar power systems and of building developers and owners as well as anyone else who needs to understand and predict sunlight for agricultural or other purposes.The earlier edition of the handbook, which was published in 2015, is used worldwide as a reference for each stage of a solar energy project. Since that time, there has been substantial growth in the interest in high-quality "bankable" solar resource data. This revision adds significant new methods so it will be even more useful. This publication is a summary that details the fundamentals of solar resources as well as captures the state of the art. For those wanting more depth, it also provides the references where more detailed information can be found. I would like to acknowledge the leadership of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and express appreciation to the U.S. Department of Energy for producing the handbook and incorporating results from IEA SHC Task 46.