How Accurate Are Solar Measurements in Somaliland?

Understanding solar power is crucial for planning sustainable projects, but precise measurements can be hard to come by, especially in places like Somaliland. A recent study aimed to improve our understanding of solar energy by comparing data from global models with actual readings from two weather stations in Somaliland. The goal was to see how well these global models estimate the amount of solar energy reaching the ground, or solar irradiance. The research team used various statistical methods and corrections to evaluate and improve the data. They looked at hourly, daily, and monthly solar irradiance, as well as how the numbers changed with the seasons and weather conditions. The results showed that most datasets underestimated solar irradiance, with some being fairly accurate and others needing improvement.For example, the error ranges before corrections for six-hourly data varied widely: between 3-31% for relative mean bias error (rMBE), 12-33% for relative mean absolute error (rMAE), 19-53% for root mean squared error (rRMSE), and a good range of 0. 797-0. 979 for the R-squared value (R²). After applying correction methods, these error ranges improved significantly: rMBE dropped to 0%, rMAE and rRMSE reduced to 8-31% and 11-34% respectively, and R² improved to 0. 897-0. 984. Some datasets, like MERRA-2 and SARAH-2, were close to the ground measurements even before corrections. Others, particularly ERA5-Land, showed dramatic improvement after corrections. This study highlights the importance of accurate solar measurements for guiding sustainable projects and suggests pathways for enhancing existing data models.