IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i2p247-d89965.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Importance of Accurate Solar Data for Designing Solar Photovoltaic Systems—Case Studies in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Mirian Jiménez-Torres

    (Electronic Engineering and Automatic Department, University of Jaén Las Lagunillas Campus, A3 Building, 23071 Jaén, Spain)

  • Catalina Rus-Casas

    (Electronic Engineering and Automatic Department, University of Jaén Las Lagunillas Campus, A3 Building, 23071 Jaén, Spain)

  • Lenin Guillermo Lemus-Zúiga

    (Instituto de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicaciones, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Leocadio Hontoria

    (Electronic Engineering and Automatic Department, University of Jaén Las Lagunillas Campus, A3 Building, 23071 Jaén, Spain)

Abstract

Renewable energies have experienced a great growth in recent years, and nowadays participate in the set of energies used in developed and developing countries to produce electricity. Among these technologies, photovoltaic energy, which produces clean electricity from the Sun, is the one that has grown faster, and its implementation all over the world is a guarantee of a solid and efficient energy technology. Nevertheless, in order to design very efficient solar energy systems, it is crucial to have a good solar radiation database. There are databases where it is possible to find information on solar radiation, but only for horizontal surfaces. Afterwards, it is necessary to transform the horizontal solar radiation data to tilt solar radiation data. This transformation is not easy, and the application of complex mathematical equations, and expressions, and difficult algorithms must be done. An application called virtual laboratory “OrientSol 3.0” which allows the user to easily obtain the solar radiation for any tilt surface has been developed by us. Thus, our main objectives in this paper are to present the developed virtual laboratory and to explain its main features and core functionalities. In order to point out the difficulties and complexity of the transformation of horizontal solar radiation data to tilt solar radiation data, we will present some examples of the results this application provides and compare the solar radiation data supplied with this application with some other solar radiation data obtained from other databases.

Suggested Citation

  • Mirian Jiménez-Torres & Catalina Rus-Casas & Lenin Guillermo Lemus-Zúiga & Leocadio Hontoria, 2017. "The Importance of Accurate Solar Data for Designing Solar Photovoltaic Systems—Case Studies in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:247-:d:89965
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/247/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/247/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haixiang Zang & Mian Guo & Zhinong Wei & Guoqiang Sun, 2016. "Determination of the Optimal Tilt Angle of Solar Collectors for Different Climates of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Benghanem, M., 2011. "Optimization of tilt angle for solar panel: Case study for Madinah, Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1427-1433, April.
    3. Amrouche, Badia & Le Pivert, Xavier, 2014. "Artificial neural network based daily local forecasting for global solar radiation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 333-341.
    4. Munawar Iqbal & David T. Llewellyn, 2002. "Introduction," Chapters, in: Munawar Iqbal & David T. Llewellyn (ed.), Islamic Banking and Finance, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Dike, V.N. & Chineke, T.C. & Nwofor, O.K. & Okoro, U.K., 2012. "Optimal angles for harvesting solar electricity in some African cities," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 433-439.
    6. Lave, Matthew & Kleissl, Jan, 2011. "Optimum fixed orientations and benefits of tracking for capturing solar radiation in the continental United States," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 1145-1152.
    7. Kee Han Kim & John Kie-Whan Oh & WoonSeong Jeong, 2016. "Study on Solar Radiation Models in South Korea for Improving Office Building Energy Performance Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Kichou, Sofiane & Silvestre, Santiago & Nofuentes, Gustavo & Torres-Ramírez, Miguel & Chouder, Aissa & Guasch, Daniel, 2016. "Characterization of degradation and evaluation of model parameters of amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules under outdoor long term exposure," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 231-241.
    9. Young Min Kim & Ki Uhn Ahn & Cheol Soo Park, 2016. "Issues of Application of Machine Learning Models for Virtual and Real-Life Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-15, June.
    10. Almonacid, F. & Rus, C. & Pérez, P.J. & Hontoria, L., 2009. "Estimation of the energy of a PV generator using artificial neural network," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2743-2750.
    11. Jafarkazemi, Farzad & Saadabadi, S. Ali, 2013. "Optimum tilt angle and orientation of solar surfaces in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 44-49.
    12. Gillian Bowser & Ulrike Gretzel & Elizabeth Davis & Mark Brown, 2014. "Educating the Future of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-10, February.
    13. Kacira, Murat & Simsek, Mehmet & Babur, Yunus & Demirkol, Sedat, 2004. "Determining optimum tilt angles and orientations of photovoltaic panels in Sanliurfa, Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1265-1275.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Rodriguez, F.J. & Jimenez-Castillo, G. & Rus-Casas, C., 2019. "A new approach to sizing the photovoltaic generator in self-consumption systems based on cost–competitiveness, maximizing direct self-consumption," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 1021-1035.
    2. Barbón, A. & Ayuso, P. Fortuny & Bayón, L. & Silva, C.A., 2021. "A comparative study between racking systems for photovoltaic power systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 424-437.
    3. David Rodriguez-Rosa & Ismael Payo-Gutierrez & Fernando J. Castillo-Garcia & Antonio Gonzalez-Rodriguez & Sergio Perez-Juarez, 2017. "Improving Energy Efficiency of an Autonomous Bicycle with Adaptive Controller Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Jiménez-Castillo, G. & Muñoz-Rodriguez, F.J. & Rus-Casas, C. & Talavera, D.L., 2020. "A new approach based on economic profitability to sizing the photovoltaic generator in self-consumption systems without storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 1017-1033.
    5. Kunle Babaremu & Nmesoma Olumba & Ikenna Chris-Okoro & Konyegwachie Chuckwuma & Tien-Chien Jen & Oluseyi Oladijo & Esther Akinlabi, 2022. "Overview of Solar–Wind Hybrid Products: Prominent Challenges and Possible Solutions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-25, August.
    6. Esther Salmerón-Manzano & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2018. "The Higher Education Sustainability through Virtual Laboratories: The Spanish University as Case of Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, November.
    7. Ramez Abdallah & Adel Juaidi & Salameh Abdel-Fattah & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2020. "Estimating the Optimum Tilt Angles for South-Facing Surfaces in Palestine," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-29, February.
    8. Maria Simona Răboacă & Gheorghe Badea & Adrian Enache & Constantin Filote & Gabriel Răsoi & Mihai Rata & Alexandru Lavric & Raluca-Andreea Felseghi, 2019. "Concentrating Solar Power Technologies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
    9. Leocadio Hontoria & Catalina Rus-Casas & Juan Domingo Aguilar & Jesús C. Hernandez, 2019. "An Improved Method for Obtaining Solar Irradiation Data at Temporal High-Resolution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-15, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hafez, A.Z. & Soliman, A. & El-Metwally, K.A. & Ismail, I.M., 2017. "Tilt and azimuth angles in solar energy applications – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 147-168.
    2. Bahrami, Arian & Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka & Atikol, Ugur, 2016. "The effect of latitude on the performance of different solar trackers in Europe and Africa," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 896-906.
    3. Ullah, Asad & Imran, Hassan & Maqsood, Zaki & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2019. "Investigation of optimal tilt angles and effects of soiling on PV energy production in Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 830-843.
    4. Oh, Myeongchan & Kim, Jin-Young & Kim, Boyoung & Yun, Chang-Yeol & Kim, Chang Ki & Kang, Yong-Heack & Kim, Hyun-Goo, 2021. "Tolerance angle concept and formula for practical optimal orientation of photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 384-394.
    5. Mohammadi, Kasra & Khorasanizadeh, Hossein, 2015. "A review of solar radiation on vertically mounted solar surfaces and proper azimuth angles in six Iranian major cities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 504-518.
    6. Chinchilla, Monica & Santos-Martín, David & Carpintero-Rentería, Miguel & Lemon, Scott, 2021. "Worldwide annual optimum tilt angle model for solar collectors and photovoltaic systems in the absence of site meteorological data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    7. Kafka, Jennifer & Miller, Mark A., 2020. "The dual angle solar harvest (DASH) method: An alternative method for organizing large solar panel arrays that optimizes incident solar energy in conjunction with land use," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 531-546.
    8. Haixiang Zang & Mian Guo & Zhinong Wei & Guoqiang Sun, 2016. "Determination of the Optimal Tilt Angle of Solar Collectors for Different Climates of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Bakirci, Kadir, 2012. "General models for optimum tilt angles of solar panels: Turkey case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(8), pages 6149-6159.
    10. Essa Alhamer & Addison Grigsby & Rydge Mulford, 2022. "The Influence of Seasonal Cloud Cover, Ambient Temperature and Seasonal Variations in Daylight Hours on the Optimal PV Panel Tilt Angle in the United States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-14, October.
    11. Gönül, Ömer & Yazar, Fatih & Duman, A. Can & Güler, Önder, 2022. "A comparative techno-economic assessment of manually adjustable tilt mechanisms and automatic solar trackers for behind-the-meter PV applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    12. Armendariz-Lopez, J.F. & Luna-Leon, A. & Gonzalez-Trevizo, M.E. & Arena-Granados, A.P. & Bojorquez-Morales, G., 2016. "Life cycle cost of photovoltaic technologies in commercial buildings in Baja California, Mexico," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(P1), pages 564-571.
    13. Mohammad K. Najjar & Eduardo Linhares Qualharini & Ahmed W. A. Hammad & Dieter Boer & Assed Haddad, 2019. "Framework for a Systematic Parametric Analysis to Maximize Energy Output of PV Modules Using an Experimental Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-24, May.
    14. Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka & Bahrami, Arian & Atikol, Ugur, 2018. "Evaluating the solar resource potential on different tracking surfaces in Nigeria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 1569-1581.
    15. Kaddoura, Tarek O. & Ramli, Makbul A.M. & Al-Turki, Yusuf A., 2016. "On the estimation of the optimum tilt angle of PV panel in Saudi Arabia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 626-634.
    16. Nicolás-Martín, Carolina & Santos-Martín, David & Chinchilla-Sánchez, Mónica & Lemon, Scott, 2020. "A global annual optimum tilt angle model for photovoltaic generation to use in the absence of local meteorological data," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 722-735.
    17. Sungha Yoon & Jintae Park & Chaeyoung Lee & Sangkwon Kim & Yongho Choi & Soobin Kwak & Hyundong Kim & Junseok Kim, 2023. "Optimal Orientation of Solar Panels for Multi-Apartment Buildings," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, February.
    18. Shirazi, Ali Mohammad & Zomorodian, Zahra S. & Tahsildoost, Mohammad, 2019. "Techno-economic BIPV evaluation method in urban areas," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1235-1246.
    19. Gökmen, Nuri & Hu, Weihao & Hou, Peng & Chen, Zhe & Sera, Dezso & Spataru, Sergiu, 2016. "Investigation of wind speed cooling effect on PV panels in windy locations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 283-290.
    20. Chaianong, Aksornchan & Pharino, Chanathip, 2015. "Outlook and challenges for promoting solar photovoltaic rooftops in Thailand," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 356-372.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:247-:d:89965. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.