Investigating the performance of chosen models for the estimation of global solar radiation on horizontal surface - A case study in Terny Hdiel, Tlemcen of Algeria

Any study or application of solar energy in a given site requires a complete and detailed knowledge of the available solar resources. Hence, the aim of this work is to evaluate global solar radiation on a horizontal surface in Teny Benu-Hdiel, Tlemcen, Algeria (latitude 34° 46'60'' N, longitude 1°22'0'' E) using measured meteorological data. The data were recorded in the period 1983 to 2005 using NASA's surface meteorology and solar energy-model. From these models, the new empirical constants have been obtained for Teny Benu-Hdiel. The selected models give very good results with the exception of second model (Quadratic model). Moreover, The results showed that the correlation of global solar radiation with sunshine hours, air temperature, relative humidity gives very accurate estimates for selected location (R2 = 0.997). Further to this, the global solar radiation values created for this study can be used in the designed and optimized performance of a stand-alone photovoltaic system for agricultural applications. © 2014 Kavala Institute of Technology.