Estimation of the total solar radiation from meteorological data

An empirical formula relating daily total solar radiation at a given location to meteorological (number of hours of sunshine, maximum temperature, relative humidity) and geological (latitude, altitude, location with respect to bodies of water) parameters is presented. The formula can be applied with good results to different locations with the same average best fit coefficient, making it possible to calculate the daily total solar radiation for locations where meteorological data is not available. An error of about 5% was associated with estimates of the yearly and monthly total solar radiation for a number of arid and semi-arid zones.