A method for mapping monthly average hourly diffuse illuminance from satellite data in Thailand

•A method for mapping diffuse illuminance from satellite data is proposed.•A global illuminance model is improved for calculating global illuminance.•A diffuse fraction model is developed for extracting diffuse from global illuminance.•Diffuse illuminance obtained from the method agrees well with th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solar energy 2014-04, Vol.102, p.162-172
Main Authors: Janjai, S., Pattarapanitchai, S., Prathumsit, J., Buntoung, S., Wattan, R., Masiri, I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Diffuse illuminance
Diffusion
Earth, ocean, space
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Illuminance
Luminosity
Mapping
Mathematical models
Meteorology
Natural energy
Radiative transfer. Solar radiation
Satellite data
Satellites
Seasonal variations
Seasons
Solar energy
Solar radiation
Thailand
Zenith
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Summary:•A method for mapping diffuse illuminance from satellite data is proposed.•A global illuminance model is improved for calculating global illuminance.•A diffuse fraction model is developed for extracting diffuse from global illuminance.•Diffuse illuminance obtained from the method agrees well with the measurements.•Diffuse illuminance maps of Thailand are generated using this method. This paper presents a method for mapping monthly average hourly diffuse illuminance from satellite data. The calculation of monthly average hourly diffuse illuminance starts with the estimation of monthly average hourly global illuminance from MTSAT-1R satellite data using an improved satellite-based illuminance model. Next, a diffuse fraction model is developed from ground and satellite-based data which is then used to extract diffuse illuminance from the satellite-derived global illuminance. To assess the performance of the method, modeled diffuse illuminance obtained from this method is compared with that obtained from measurements at four stations in Thailand. There is good agreement between calculated and the measured values of monthly average hourly diffuse illuminance, with the root mean square difference and mean bias difference of 9.7% and −1.4% respectively. The model is used to map monthly average hourly diffuse illuminance for the country. The maps reveal the diurnal and seasonal variations in response to a range of factors including cloud cover, zenith angle and monsoonal effects.
ISSN:0038-092X
1471-1257
DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2014.01.020