Availability of Solar Radiation and Possibility of Its Utilization in Polar Zones
Abstract
The availability of solar radiation in the polar zones greatly influences the climate of the Earth. However, solar radiation conditions and its dependence upon ozone layer, carbon dioxide, meteorological and locational parameters at polar zones are hardly investigated. To study solar radiation conditions at polar zones, a special algorithm and software are developed. The software developed allows for the simulation of all solar radiation parameters: hourly direct beam, beam, diffuse and global, daily and mean monthly components, clearness and anisotropy indices. The simulations are conducted for different latitudes and for different possible meteorological conditions. The effects of ozone layer and carbon dioxide were also investigated. It is shown that O3 has minimal affect the climate in the polar zones, because it absorbs only the uv-component of solar radiation. The increase in CO2 above the polar zones increase solar radiation absorbed by the atmosphere and decrease solar radiation incident on the surface of the Earth and, hence, would probably cause little climate change. Simulations results revealed interesting facts. For example, at the South Pole the hourly direct beam radiation, Ibn, can be as high as 1200 W/m2. Daily direct beam radiation, Hbn, could be as high as 109000 MJ/m2. However, for the North Pole this parameter is much lower, Hbn = 72000 MJ/m2. At the same time diffuse components are low. For South Pole Id = 43 W/m2, and for North Pole Id = 74 W/m2. This is understandable, because the atmosphere there is clear and not polluted. The effect of different slopes upon the total solar radiation on a horizontal surface is also investigated. For both poles, the optimum slope is zero. The conclusion made is that polar zones are promising for utilization of solar energy (during summer times) by PV-arrays. It is especially promising at the Southern Polar Zone.