Estimation of Diffuse Solar Radiation in Area between 5°N and 10°N of Cameroon

Théophile Lealea, Réné Tchinda

L2MSP, Department of Physics, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon;LISIE, University Institute of Technology Fotso Victor, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon..
LISIE, University Institute of Technology Fotso Victor, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon..

DOI: 10.4236/nr.2013.43035                

Abstract

The successful design and effective utilization of solar energy systems and devices for application in various facets of human endeavors, such as power and water supply for industrial, agricultural and domestic uses, largely depend on the availability of information on solar radiation characteristic of the location in which the system and devices should be situated. This study proposed a multivariate model of monthly mean daily diffuse solar radiation on horizontal surfaces for some cities between 5°N and 10°N of Cameroon (Ngaoundéré, Garoua-Boulai, Bafoussam, Nkambé). The estimation was based on a correlation between clearance index and diffusion to global solar radiation ratio and was computed using monthly mean daily data set for global solar radiation on horizontal surfaces. The predictive efficiency of the proposed model was compared with the observed values and those believed to be universally applicable. The results suggested that the existing methods could be replaced by the developed model for a diffuse solar radiation data generation scheme.

Keywords

Clearness Index; Diffuse Fraction; MBE, RMSE; t-Statistic

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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