The Solar Energy Potential of Greece for Flat-Plate Solar Panels Mounted on Double-Axis Systems

Harry D. Kambezidis (), Konstantinos Mimidis and Kosmas A. Kavadias
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Harry D. Kambezidis: Atmospheric Research Team, Institute of Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Lofos Nymphon, GR-11810 Athens, Greece
Konstantinos Mimidis: Municipality of Ancient Olympia, Ch. Kosmopoulou 1, GR-27065 Ancient Olympia, Greece
Kosmas A. Kavadias: Soft Energy Systems and Environmental Protection Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica, P. Ralli & Thivon 250, GR-12244 Egaleo, Greece

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-28

Abstract: The aim of the present work is to investigate the efficiency of flat-plate solar panels in Greece for delivering solar energy. In this study, the solar panels are mounted on a two-axis tracker, which follows the daily path of the sun. In this context, the annual energy sums are estimated on such surfaces from hourly solar horizontal radiation values at forty-three locations, covering all of Greece. The solar horizontal radiation values are embedded in the typical meteorological years of the sites obtained from the PVGIS tool. All calculations use near-real surface-albedo values for the sites, and isotropic and anisotropic models are used to estimate the diffuse-inclined radiation. The analysis provides non-linear regression expressions for the energy sums as a function of time (month, season). The annual energy sums are found to vary between 2247 kWhm −2 and 2878 kWhm −2 under all-sky conditions with the anisotropic transposition model. Finally, maps of Greece showing the distribution of the annual and seasonal solar energy sums under all- and clear-sky conditions are derived for the first time, and these maps constitute the main innovation of this work.

Keywords: solar energy potential; maximum energy; inclined surfaces; solar tracking; Greece (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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