A computer model based on mass and energy balance has been developed which incorporates a range of solar flat plate air heating collector geometries and a drying model based on the thin layer drying principle. This model will be useful in understanding the extreme complexity of the drying...

The South African solar map has been redrawn to make it applicable to photovoltaic installations. This has been done with the aim of reducing the cost of solar PV installations in South Africa through accurate energy resource assessment and competent system design. Climate data software as well...

In this paper, a genetic approach combing multi-model framework for solar radiation time series prediction is proposed. The framework starts with the assumption that there exists several different patterns in the stochastic component of the solar radiation series. To uncover the underlying...

The precise determination of solar radiation intensity is important for accurate system sizing. For PV pumping system case, the issue becomes more important since inaccurate solar radiation data nonlinearly reflected to the calculations. Inappropriate solar radiation model selection for a...

The process of heating gases to high temperatures by volumetric absorption of concentrated solar radiation is presented. Research on the influence of the size and substance on the absorption and reflection abilities of carbonaceous particles and particle-gas suspensions were carried out....

Measurements of the power produced by a photovoltaic (PV) system are important for technical as well as financial reasons, especially in large installations. The energy produced by a PV system is modeled through its nominal power, the incoming irradiance and the major energy loss mechanisms....

This short technical note presents an attempt to develop a new climatic variable Z for assessing climate change (global warming) with respect to the built environment. Principal component analysis of long-term (30-year) dry-bulb temperature (DBT), wet-bulb temperature and global solar radiation...

Direct solar radiation measured with a pyrheliometer installed at the meteorological station of Sidi Bou Said (Northern Tunisia) is used to investigate the atmospheric turbidity using Linke's factor. The obtained results indicate high variability of the diurnal and seasonal components of...

The solar irradiation in Kuwait had been measured at different (347.5, 450, 550, 650, 700, and 800nm). The data collected during period of time starting first May 1995 to the end of July 1997.

Solar irradiance, particularly on vertical surfaces, plays a major role in determining the thermal and energy performance of a building. It is important to the design and analysis of both active solar systems and passive solar buildings. Many mathematical models are mainly developed to predict...