Abstract

The solar energy potential of Gaza Strip southern Palestine is investigated based on measurements of a complete year s data at a coastal location High resolution real time solar radiation data were collected and processed Hourly daily and monthly statistics of solar radiation were made from the 1 min averaged recorded values Clearness index is discussed on the basis of hourly daily and monthly averages This paper summarizes the many years of data 1989-2002 that have been processed from the Solar Radiation Survey Typical Meteorological Year files TMY based on the direct beam component and the archived hourly data upon which they are based The average annual direct beam total for all the stations is 2196 kWh m- 2 year -1 For example during the 11 years of data that are discussed in the present paper It is concluded that 1 sufficient data probably now exist in order to enable one to identify the best places for locating solar power stations 2 several more years of data will be necessary before a sufficiently reliable data base will exist for the purpose of simulating solar- concentrator power plant performance and determining their economic benefit The average annual global horizontal radiation for all stations is 2017 kWh m-2 year -1