A through analysis of solar irradiation measurements in the region of Arica Parinacota, Chile

This paper presents radiometric and meteorological data measured at three ground stations (University of Tarapacá, Quiborax and Las Rejas) in the region of Arica-Parinacota (Chile). Global horizontal irradiance, diffuse horizontal irradiance, direct normal irradiance, surface temperature, wind speed and wind direction and relative humidity were measured and analysed for more than one complete year at each station. The data is filtered to guarantee its consistency and quality, following a particular set of filters selected and adapted for the radiometric conditions of Arica. Daily, monthly and yearly averages of solar irradiation and meteorological values are processed from the 10-min averages registered at the stations. The data collected indicates that there is a strong relationship between altitude and proximity to the coast, which influences the annual levels of solar energy. These results also show that the region of Arica-Parinacota has among the highest yearly values of solar radiation in the World and consequently a strong potential for capturing solar energy using photovoltaic (PV), concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. The ground radiometric data has been compared with long-term satellite-derived data from NASA, NREL, CIEMAT, INPE BRASIL-SR and numerical model WRF. Overall, the model with the lowest error for GHI is CIEMAT and WRF models and for DNI is CIEMAT model.