Evaluating the impact of deep learning approaches on solar and photovoltaic power forecasting: A systematic review

Abstract

Accurate solar and photovoltaic (PV) power forecasting is essential for optimizing grid integration, managing energy storage, and maximizing the efficiency of solar power systems. Deep learning (DL) models have shown promise in this area due to their ability to learn complex, non-linear relationships within large datasets. This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of deep learning applications for solar PV forecasting, addressing a gap in the existing literature, which often focuses on traditional ML or broader renewable energy applications. This review specifically aims to identify the DL architectures employed, preprocessing and feature engineering techniques used, the input features leveraged, evaluation metrics applied, and the persistent challenges in this field. Through a rigorous analysis of 26 selected papers from an initial set of 155 articles retrieved from the Web of Science database, we found that Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks were the most frequently used algorithm (appearing in 32.69% of the papers), closely followed by Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) at 28.85%. Furthermore, Wavelet Transform (WT) was found to be the most prominent data decomposition technique, while Pearson Correlation was the most used for feature selection. We also found that ambient temperature, pressure, and humidity are the most common input features. Our systematic evaluation provides critical insights into state-of-the-art DL-based solar forecasting and identifies key areas for upcoming research. Future research should prioritize the development of more robust and interpretable models, as well as explore the integration of multi-source data to further enhance forecasting accuracy. Such advancements are crucial for the effective integration of solar energy into future power grids. • Review of DL approaches on solar and photovoltaic power forecasting. • Data preprocessing techniques and feature engineering approach for DL algorithms. • Prominent features employed for DL-based solar forecasting. • Obstacles in DL-based solar forecasting.