Mapping Solar Global Radiation and Beam Radiation in Taiwan

Data for solar radiation resources play a pivotal role in assessing the energy yield capability of solar applications. A nationwide database for the typical meteorological year from the 30 weather stations of the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) in Taiwan is used to determine the spatial distribution of global radiation over the terrain of Taiwan. There is no available beam radiation information in daily reports from all CWB stations. Information on the diffuse fraction for all CWB stations is estimated using three available correlation models that account for topographical and geographical effects in Taiwan. The databases for beam radiation are generated using these estimated diffuse fractions. The mappings of global and beam radiation on the Taiwanese mainland are performed with databases from 24 CWB stations using the residual kriging method. There are no mappings of the remote islands, where six CWB stations are located. The databases for global and beam radiation for these six CWB stations are applied to nearby remote islands. The effects of topography and geography on the distributions of global and beam radiation are discussed. The spatial distributions of solar radiation presented are good scientific references for assessing the performances of solar energy systems in Taiwan.