Application of Solar Radiation Models to Predict the Average Values of Global Solar Radiation in south-east cities of Iran

Two simple models for global horizontal insolation have been compared with the average monthly values of global solar radiation measured by the Iranian Meteorological Organization (IMO) in major cities of the south-east (SE) region of the country. The models have been calibrated to provide good agreement with the experimental data. They are based on algebraic expressions, rather than the look-up tables, which greatly simplifies the use of the model. The models provide results that will agree with reliable experimental data. The paper consists of the application of models found in literature to verify the reliability of the models in Iranian cities. The global solar radiation is compared with the IMO real data of Kerman and SE cities. The obtained results are interesting because of the strict correspondence between the model values and the real data. The models can be used as viable tools for those locations in Iran where no measured data are available. The parameters of the models for remote places are chosen by applying correction factors to climatologically determined constants for nearby monitored places.