Evaluation of the Hourly Global Solar Radiation on a Horizontal Plane for Two Sites in Algeria

Abstract

We present three models for the estimation of hourly global solar radiation for two sites in Algeria, namely: Djelfa (Latitude 34.68°N, Longitude 3.25°E, Altitude 1126 (m)) and Ain Bessem (Latitude 36.31°N, Longitude 3.67°E, Altitude 629 (m)). The models are: the Gaussian distribution model, the model by Collares-Pereira-RabI and the H.A. model (Hourly absolute modelling approach). The experimental assessment was done using recorded values of the hourly global solar radiation on a horizontal plane during the period 2000-2004. The obtained results show a close similarity between the solar radiation values calculated by the three models and the measured values, especially for the first model. The experimental validation shows promising results for the estimation and precise prediction of the hourly global solar radiation.