Evaluation of horizontal surface solar radiation levels in southern Nigeria

Solar energy, which is inexhaustible and abundant, has become an economically viable and environmentally preferable alternative to fossil fuels. There is the inherent advantage of solar energy in mitigation of climate change, generation of employment, and reduction of poverty, as well as increased energy security and supply. It is therefore important to continue to evaluate the global solar radiation levels in countries such as Nigeria with considerably high solar energy potential. In this paper, we report such evaluation for southern Nigeria; in particular, the correlations of meteorological estimates from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and calculated Hargreaves estimates for this region of Nigeria (latitude of 4.75 degrees- 7.77 degrees N and longitude of 3.33 degrees - 8.32 degrees E) are carried out and the results show a good agreement in all the sites, thereby strengthening the case we make for decentralized renewable energy investments in the region. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3558871]