Determination of a Suitable Solar Radiation Model for the Sites of Chad

Abstract

The aim of this study is the determination of a suitable solar radiation model for the twelve cities of Chad based on meteorological data. Three appropriate models are used to estimate the solar radiation of each site. The choice of these models is based on statistical tests such as the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), the Mean Bias Error (MBE), the Mean Percentage Error (MPE), and the Nash-Sutcliffe Equation (NSE). The obtained results show that the Angstrom-Prescott model is the most suitable for the calculation of global solar radiation in the sites of Bongor, Pala, Am-timan and Mongo. For the sites of Moundou, Sarh and Bokoro the Allen model is the most adapted for the calculation of global solar radiation. On the other hand the Sabbagh model is the most appropriate for the sites of Faya-Largeau, Abeche, N’Djamena, Ati and Moussoro. It has been revealed that Abeche is the site with the highest solar radiation value equal to 6.354 kWh/m2 and Ati is the site where the solar radiation has the lowest value around 5.523 kWh/m2. Based on the obtained results, it is demonstrated that the three climatic zones of Chad have a good solar potential and consequently suitable for the exploitation of the solar energy systems.