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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Atmospheric Science
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1399971

Observational characterization and empirical modeling of global and diffuse solar irradiances at the Peruvian central Andes

Provisionally accepted
Octavio Fashé-Raymundo Octavio Fashé-Raymundo 1José L. Flores-Rojas José L. Flores-Rojas 2*Lucy M. Giráldez Solano Lucy M. Giráldez Solano 2Rene Esteban-Arredondo Rene Esteban-Arredondo 2Luis Suárez-Salas Luis Suárez-Salas 2Elias Sanabria-Pérez Elias Sanabria-Pérez 3Hugo Abi Karam Hugo Abi Karam 4Yamina Silva Yamina Silva 2
  • 1 National University of San Marcos, Lima, Lima, Peru
  • 2 Instituto Geofisico del Peru, Lima, Peru
  • 3 Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú, Huancayo, Peru
  • 4 Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The present study aims to comprehensively assess the solar irradiance patterns in the western zone of the Mantaro Valley, a region of ecological and agricultural significance in the central Peruvian Andes. Leveraging radiation data from the Baseline surface Radiation Network (BSRN ) sensors located in the Huancayo Geophysical Observatory (HY GO-12.04 • S,75.32 • W, 3350 masl) spanning from 2017 to 2022, the research delves into the seasonal variations and trends in surface solar irradiance components. Actually, the study investigates the diurnal and seasonal variations of solar irradiance components, namely diffuse (E DF ), direct (E DR ), and global (E G ) irradiance. Results demonstrate distinct peaks and declines across seasons, with E DR and E DF exhibiting opposing seasonal trends, influencing the overall variability in E G . Peaks of E G occurred in spring (3.32 MJm -2 h -1 at noon), particularly during October (24.14 MJ m -2 day -1 ), probably associated with biomass-burning periods and heightened aerosol optical depth (AOD). These findings highlight the impact of biomass-burning aerosols on solar radiation dynamics in the region. In general, the seasonal variability of E G on the HY GO is lower than that observed in other regions of South America at higher latitudes and reach its maximums during spring months. Moreover, the research evaluates various irradiation models to establish correlations between sunshine hours, measured with a solid glass sphere heliograph, and E G and E DF at different time scales, showing acceptable accuracy to predict. In addition, the sigmoid logistic function emerges as the most effective in correlating the hourly diffuse fraction (K h D ) and the hourly clearness index (K h T ), showcasing superior performance compared to alternative functions and exhibiting strong statistical significance and providing valuable insights for future solar radiation forecasting and modeling efforts. This

    Keywords: Solar irradiance models, Global irradiance, Diffuse irradiance, Direct irradiance, peruvian central andes

    Received: 12 Mar 2024; Accepted: 19 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fashé-Raymundo, Flores-Rojas, Giráldez Solano, Esteban-Arredondo, Suárez-Salas, Sanabria-Pérez, Karam and Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: José L. Flores-Rojas, Instituto Geofisico del Peru, Lima, Peru

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