Selection of Models for Calculation of Incident Solar Radiation on Tilted Surfaces

Abstract

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of tilted surface solar radiation models for selection of estimated amount of solar radiation. The model results were evaluated on the basis of one-sample statistical test. The statistical test includes four measures namely the mean, standard deviation, standard error mean and the range of 95 % confidence interval of the difference. The analysis revealed that yearly average solar radiation data recorded by local meteorological stations were 7 % less than satellite-derived data acquired from National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The estimated results of tilted surface radiation models showed that Reindl et al., model executed maximum variation and Klucher model displayed minimum error as per one-sample statistical test among the examined models. It was concluded from the study that Klucher model could be preferred for the estimation of tilted surface radiations. Key words: Mathematical models One-sample statistical test Solar radiation Tilted surface models