Redrawing the solar map of South Africa for photovoltaic applications
Abstract:
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 as solar design software was used to aid this process. The new map provides an alternative to the map in current use, which only considers radiation, whereas many more factors affect the output of a panel, such as wind, cloud cover and humidity. All these are taken into account when drawing the new map.
Keywords: Renewable energy; Solar radiation; Photovoltaics; South Africa
R. Munzhedzi, A.B. Sebitosi, Redrawing the solar map of South Africa for photovoltaic applications, Renewable Energy, Volume 34, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 165-169, ISSN 0960-1481, DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2008.03.023.
