Solar radiation on tilted south oriented surfaces: Validation of transfer-models

Three transfer-models in use for estimating solar radiation on tilted surfaces are tested. A 12 year series of hourly global, diffuse, and reflected solar irradiation measured with horizontal pyranometers as well as hourly global solar irradiation measured with tilted south oriented pyranometers is available. One model uses daily irradiation, the other two use hourly irradiation. The models converting hourly solar irradiation on a horizontal surface to a tilted surface yield better results than that using daily irradiation. The best results are gained if pairs of hourly global and diffuse solar irradiation are available. The root mean square errors exceed 10% only if the sky is covered by more than 85% with clouds or if the solar elevation angle is less than 10 degrees. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.