Resumen
- Global solar radiation at surface is the result of a complex interaction of energy between the atmosphere an the surface. Recently, several progress have been made towards the creation of accurate, physically-based solar radiations formulations that can model this interactions over complex terrain. A simple global solar radiation model was developed for the Central Zone of Chile, being fully integrated within a geographic information system (Idrisi) and based on a digital elevation model (DEM). Key features are (i) the determination of atmospheric transmissivity from measured meteorological data, (ii) modeling of the direct and diffuse component of solar radiation, and (iii) the consideration of cloud coverage. In this study, the developed model was used to estimate the spatial distribution of incoming monthly potential global solar radiation for the work area. These results are better than those obtained by classical interpolators, and still better if the process is run on the complex terrain areas. Finally the potential application of this method is discussed.