Potential of global solar radiation in Terengganu, Maalaysia

Abstract

Accurate information on the intensity of solar radiation at a given location is essential to the development of solar energybased projects. This information is used in the design of a project, in cost analysis, and in calculations on the efficiency of a project. As the solar radiation data are not available for most areas in Malaysia, this study is crucial in establishing the solar data for Terengganu, Malaysia. The geographical co-ordinates of the site are 50 10’ N latitude 1030 06’ E longitude and 5.2 m altitude. The data used in the present study were collected from the Renewable Energy Station, University Malaysia Terengganu from 2004 to 2010. In addition to these data, secondary data were obtained from Malaysian Meteorological Department from 2004 to 2009 at the Terengganu Airport station (5o 10.0’ N latitude 103o 6.0’ E longitude) which is nearly 2 km southeast to the study area. From the raw data, the mean, maximum and minimum hourly values were calculated. The highest 24 hours basis daily and monthly mean global solar radiation values were 314.9 W/m2 and 7556 Wh/m2/day, respectively. The highest hourly average solar radiation intensity was 1139 W/m2 during this study period. Yearly average daily solar energy was 18.93 MJ/m2/day. Besides the global solar radiation, the clearness indexes and air temperature variation are discussed. This study indicates that Terengganu state has a strong solar energy potential.