Diurnal pattern and estimation of global solar radiation in east coast Malaysia

Abstract

This solar radiation study was undertaken at Pekan campus (3.5°N, 103.4°E), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University Malaysia Pahang. The study focused on the variation of daily global radiation in east coast Malaysia and the development of an empirical model to estimate the monthly average daily global solar radiation on a horizontal surface with Pekan meteorological station data. Solar radiation data were obtained using the weather station which was installed at the site from 2011 to 2013. The patterns were divided into five conditions: clear sky, partially cloudy, fully cloudy, afternoon rain, and northeast monsoon season. It was observed that on a clear sky day in Pekan, the maximum solar insolation was 939 W/m2 and total solar energy received was 6.51 kWhr/m2. In contrast, on a fully cloudy day the maximum solar insolation was only 30 W/m2 and total solar energy received was 0.35 kWhr/m2. Subsequently, the developed models were evaluated using statistical analysis. This paper describes an advanced understanding of the daily variation of global solar radiation in east coast Malaysia which may be significant for the design of a solar system. Lastly, use of the Angstrom modified linear models developed is highly recommended to estimate the monthly average daily global solar radiation in Pekan, Pahang and locations with similar solar radiation patterns in east coast Malaysia. © Universiti Malaysia Pahang.