Solar Radiation Availability in the Northeastern Region of Saudi Arabia

The solar energy potential of the northeastern part of Saudi Arabia is investigated based on measurements of a complete year of data at a coastal location near Dhahran. High-resolution, real-time solar radiation data were collected and processed. Hourly, daily, and monthly statistics of solar radiation were made from the recorded 1-min averaged values. Clearness index is discussed on the basis of hourly, daily,and monthly averages. Variation of the diffuse fraction of total radiation is also determined, and results are discussed.