Solar Radiation in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Original solar irradiance data were obtained from the U.S. Air Force Environmental Technical Applications Center. These data were based on a model which used standard meteorological data and an albedo supplied by us. A procedure was developed to interpolate missing solar irradiances, and serially complete sets of hourly total solar irradiances were established for the three Saudi Arabian stations Riyadh, Dhahran, and Quasumah for the period January 1981 through July 1990. Tables of maximum, minimum, and mean daily totals, mean hourly values, and frequency distributions for noon are included. Comparison of monthly means and extremes with published data did not produce conclusive results. Considerable disagreement exists among published amounts of solar radiation reaching the surface in this region. The solar irradiance estimates in this report agree with the highest published values and should be considered upper limits.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA269970
Entities
People
- Dorathy A. Stewart
- Helmut P. Dudel
- Larry J. Levitt
Organizations
- United States Army Aviation and Missile Command