On Seasonal Variation of Solar Irradiation in Kuwait

Year 2015, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 367 - 372, 01.06.2015

Mohammed Bou-rabee Shaharin Sulaiman

Abstract

The technology for solar power generation is limited to numerous conditions that could affect the amount of energy received by the solar collector. In justifying the economic potential of solar energy at any geographical location the average data on solar irradiation is normally used. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether the use of average data is appropriate because irradiation could vary with seasons even in the desert. In the present work, the characteristics of solar radiation energy at a selected location in Kuwait were studied by measuring irradiance,using a pyranometer mounted on a shade-free area, throughout a year for comparison of extreme levels.The study revealed that the solar irradiation level was the lowest in winter and the highest in summer (three times the levels in winter), with an average monthly irradiation of170.4 kWh/m².The variation in monthly irradiation was relatively high with standard deviation of 61.3 kWh/m².Consequent to this, there would be four months during which the irradiation would be far below the average value; i.e. lower than 120 kWh/m², and thus leading to requirement for backup power by mean of other source of energy.

Keywords

solar energy; solar collector; irradiance; seasonal variation

References

• ENF Ltd. (8 January 2013). "Small Chinese Solar Manufacturers Decimated in 2012 | Solar PV Business News|ENF Company Directory", http://www.enfsolar. com/news/Small-Chinese-Solar-Manufacturers-Decima ted-in-2012, Retrieved on 23 July 2014.
• Solar Stocks: Does the Punishment Fit the Crime? 24/7 Wall St. (6 October 2011). http://247wallst.com/energy -business/2011/10/06/solar-stocks-does-the-punishment -fit-the-crime-fslr-spwra-stp-jaso-tsl-ldk-tan/ Retrieved on 23 July 2014.
• Perlin, J. (1999). From space to Earth: the story of solar electricity. Earthscan. p. 50.
• Solar Power Information (2009, 8 April 2011). Solar Panels, www.solarpower2day.net/solar-panels/, Retrieved on 23 July 2014.
• Kannan, R., Leong, K.C., Osman, R., Ho, H.K., and Tso, C.P., "Life cycle assessment study of solar PV systems: An example of a 2.7 kWp distributed solar PV system in Singapore," Solar Energy, vol. 80, pp. 555-563, 2006.
• Sulaiman, S.A., Hussain, H.H., Leh, N.S.H.N. and Razali, M.S.I., “Effects of Dust on the Performance of PV Panels,” World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technol., vol. 58, pp. 588–592, 2011.
• Sulaiman, S.A., Singh, A.K., Mokhtar, M.M.M., and Bou-Rabee, M.A. “Influence of Dirt Accumulation on Performance of PV Panels,” Energy Procedia, vol. 50, pp. 50-56, 2014.
• Hadi, M.A., Abdel-Razek, R.H. and Chakroun, W. M., “Economic Assessment of the Use of Solar Energy in Kuwait,” Global Journal of Business Research, vol. 7, pp. 73-82, 2013.
• Ramadhan, M., Hussain, A., and Behbehani, D. “The Prospect of Solar Energy in the Development of Power Stations in the State of Kuwait,” Journal of Renewable Energy, vol. 2013, Article ID 374265, 6 pages, 2013.
• Alnaser, W. E., Eliagoubi, B., Al-Kalak, A., Trabelsi, H., Al-Maalej, M., El-Sayed, H. M., and Alloush, M. (2004) “First Solar Radiation Atlas for the Arab World,” Renewable Energy, vol. 29, pp. 1085-1107.
• Al-Enezi, F.Q., J.K. Sykulski, and Ahmed, N.A., “Visibility and Potential of Solar Energy on Horizontal Surface at Kuwait Area,” International Conference on Smart Grid and Clean Energy Technologies, pp. 536- 541, 2011.
• Ghoneim, A.A. and Abdullah, A.H., “Feasibility Study of Solar Heating and Cooling Systems in Kuwait,” Destination Renewables – ANZSES 2003, Australia, pp. 239-248, 2003.
• Morrison, G.L. and Tran, H.N., “Energy Rating of Domestic Water Heaters,” ANZES 1992 Annual Conference, Darwin, 1992.
• Sulaiman, S.A. and Fauzi, F.F., “Study on Thermal Performance Assessment of Solar Hot Water Systems in Malaysia,” MATEC Web of Conferences 13, 06009, 2014.
• Al Riza, D.F., Gilani, S.I.H., and Aris, M.S., Measurement and Simulation of a Standalone Photovoltaic System for Residential Lighting in Malaysia, Journal of Hydrocarbons Mines and Environmental Research, Special Issue of EFEEA, vol. 2, pp. 6-12, 2011.
• Bou-Rabee, M.A., Sulaiman, S.A., Choec,G., Hanc,D., Saeed,T., and Marafie, S., “Characteristics of Solar Energy Radiation on Typical Summer and Winter Days in Kuwait,” submitted to 8thIEEE GCC Conference & Exhibition, Muscat, Oman, February 2015.
• Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (2012) Kuwait National Meteorological Network: The Meteorological Conditions in the State of Kuwait, http://www.kisr.edu. kw/en/ Retrieved on 11 November 2014.