ASP projects

ASCloud – TC: All Sky Camera Cloud Type Classifier

Climate change is heavily influenced by human activities, particularly in two critical areas: energy production and aviation. Energy production still relies on methods that emit substantial greenhouse gases, while carbon emissions from aircraft contrails—thin clouds formed by exhaust gases— contribute to 2.5% of total global emissions. These contrails can trap heat or reflect sunlight, significantly affecting local and global climates. Addressing these challenges is vital to mitigating global warming and improving the efficiency of renewable energy sources.

The ASCloud-TC project offers a solution through an innovative cloud detection and classification system. Using all-sky, 360-degree ground images, the system detects and classifies cloud types, including contrails. This approach is key for both solar energy production forecasting and minimizing contrail-related climate impacts. Accurate cloud predictions can enhance photovoltaic system efficiency by optimizing self- consumption of solar energy, reducing external electricity reliance, and minimizing surplus losses.

The project relies on two key components: effective data acquisition through all-sky cameras, and advanced machine learning algorithms for cloud classification. By integrating visible and infrared images, the system offers localized, frequent data, even in low visibility conditions.