Improved convolutional neural network‐based quantile regression for regional photovoltaic generation probabilistic forecast

Nowadays, an increasing number of photovoltaic (PV) plants are becoming integrated into one regional power grid. Under this circumstance, the probabilistic forecast of regional PV power generation is of significance for the regional power system operation and control. This study presents a novel probabilistic forecast method for regional PV generation that integrates the convolutional neural network (CNN) with non‐linear quantile regression (QR). In this method, the CNN structure is enhanced to extract the non‐linear features of the input data and generate the non‐linear QR function. As a result, the improved CNN can effectively process high‐dimensional and complex input data and the non‐linear QR model can provide quantile forecast information of regional PV power. The validity of the proposed method is verified by using it to forecast the regional PV generation from the clustered PV plants in the Weifang region of China.