Modelling and Simulation of Solar Radiation using Different Models for Amravati, Maharashtra India

The increasing energy demands around the globe and depleting conventional energy sources has compelled us to think of alternate sources of energy. The energy available from sun in the form solar radiation is of paramount importance in context of supplying the energy needs. The utilization of solar energy solely depends on the obtainable solar radiation flux at a particular geographical location. In this study, a novel attempt of predicting solar radiation at Amravati, Maharashtra, India (20.9374
^oN,\
77.7796
^oE)
has been made using different empirical models based on Angstrom-Prescott model, considering sunshine hour as prime parameter using MATLAB tool. Several statistical tests are used as basis of comparison such as the mean bias error (MBE), the mean percentage error (MPE), the root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient (r). Based on the statistical results, the best model for considered site can be ascertained and used for predicting solar power plant capacity for Amravati. Due to absence of meteorological data at the considered site, this work will thus prove to be beneficial in estimating the solar radiation at Amravati and also at various sites having similar climatic conditions where measured solar radiation data is absent.