Evaluation of High-Resolution Satellite-Derived Solar Radiation Data for PV Performance Simulation in East Africa

Diane Palmer and Richard Blanchard
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Diane Palmer: Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Richard Blanchard: Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-24

Abstract: Access to reliable, clean, modern cooking enhances life chances. One option is photovoltaic cooking systems. Accurate solar data are needed to ascertain to what extent these can satisfy the needs of local people. In this paper, we investigate how to choose the most accurate satellite-derived solar irradiance database for use in Africa. This is necessary because there is a general shortage of ground measurements for Africa. The solar data are needed to model the output of solar cooking systems, such as a solar panel, battery and electric pressure cooker. Four easily accessible global horizontal irradiation (GHI) satellite databases are validated against ground measurements using a range of statistical tests. The results demonstrate the impact of the mathematical measure used and the phenomenon of balancing errors. Fitting of the satellite model to the appropriate climate zone and/or nearby measurements improves accuracy, as does higher spatial and temporal resolution of input parameters. That said, all the four databases reviewed were found to be suitable for simulating PV yield in East Africa.

Keywords: solar radiation; satellite-derived irradiance; global horizontal irradiance; clear sky model; ground stations; validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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