Sizing stand-alone photovoltaic systems for various locations in Sudan

A prerequisite to the sizing of stand-alone photovoltaic power sources is the availability of radiation data at the required location. Generally this is not available for isolated regions. In Sudan, radiation data are only available for a limited number of stations throughout the country. The present paper validates the clear sky model for predicting solar radiation for parts of the country north of latitude 10°N. The model is used to obtain the hourly global radiation incident on a tilted solar array at any location in that part of the country. A computer-aided sizing program for stand-alone photovoltaic systems was then developed. The effects of maximum cell temperature and different load profiles in the system size are investigated.