Solar Resource Mapping Republic of Maldives...in the field of solar resource and photovoltaic energy assessment. The company has been leading the execution of Solar Resource Mapping

Solar Resource Mapping Republic of Maldives

Supporting Strategic Planning and Commercial Development by Investing in Global Public Goods

Ministry of Environment

Preliminary modelling and planning of Phase 2: Project inception and stakeholder

engagement; preparation of initial solar resource and meteorological data

calculated by satellite-based and meteorological models; preliminary validation

using ground-based data available in a wider region; preparation of Phase 2.

Ground-based data collection for two years: Implementation of a ground-

based measurement campaign using high quality instruments, with regular data

transmission and reporting, for the purpose of validating and improving the initial

solar models and for generating reliable high-resolution solar and meteorological

data for any site in the Maldives.

Production of validated solar resource atlas: Preparation of validated solar resource

data and maps. The report Solar Atlas of Maldives describes the methodology and

the findings of the project.

Phase 1 / 2015Interim resource assessment based on satellite-data analysis and global datasets

Phase 2 / 2016—2018Solar measurement campaign to validate and improve interim resource assessment

Phase 3 / 2018Publication of validated resource atlas and accompanying datasets

Project Scope and Methods

Solargis data vs ground measurements GIS data layers

Project Timeline

Our team during the installation campaign

Cross-comparison of the modeled and ground-measured data: 1-minute and 30-minute aggregations (Hulhule, 24 months) Visualisation of DNI data in Google Earth software

Pyranometer Hukseflux SR20 Fully equipped station

Example of the quality control of the measured data (Hanimadhoo, DNI, RSP, Jan 2016 — Dec 2017)

 passed

 physical limit low

 visual check partial

 sun below horizon

Knowledge exchange

Global Horizontal IrradiationGlobal horizontal irradiation (GHI) represents a total

amount of shortwave radiation received by a horizontal

surface. It is considered as a solar resource reference and

enables comparing individual sites or regions. It is the

most important parameter for energy yield calculation

and performance assessment of flat-plate photovoltaic

(PV) technologies.

20 km

Overview of GHI at four solar meteorological stations

Han

imaa

dhoo

Hul

hulé

Kad

hdho

oG

an

1

2

3

4

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lo

ng

-te

rm a

vera

ge

of

GH

I d

aily

to

tals

[k

Wh

/m2

]

Interannual variability

Long-term monthly averages, minima and maxima

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

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20

17 A

vera

ge

da

ily

tota

ls o

f G

HI

[kW

h/m

2]

Year

Comparison of long-term average of daily totals: original and regionally-adapted values

Hanimaadhoo

Hulhulé

Kadhdhoo

Gan

Original[kWh/m2]

5.58

5.64

5.65

5.65

Adapted[kWh/m2]

5.51

5.55

5.57

5.62

Difference[%]

-1.3

-1.6

-1.4

-0.5

Solar meteorological station

5.5 5.6

2008 2045

kWh/m²

Daily totals

Yearly totals

Map of GHI long-term average (period 1999-2017)

Direct Normal Irradiation

3.9 4.1 4.3 4.5

1424 1497 1570 1643

kWh/m²

Daily totals

Yearly totals

Direct normal irradiation (DNI) is the amount of solar

radiation from the direction of the sun. It is the most

important parameter for energy yield calculation and

performance assessment of concentrating solar power

and concentrating solar photovoltaic technologies. DNI

is also important for the calculation of global irradiation

received by tilted or sun-tracking photovoltaic modules.

20 km

Han

imaa

dhoo

Hul

hulé

Kad

hdho

oG

an

1

2

3

4

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lo

ng

-te

rm a

vera

ge

of

DN

I da

ily t

ota

ls[k

Wh

/m2

]

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

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16

20

17 A

vera

ge

da

ily

tota

ls o

f D

NI

[kW

h/m

2]

Year

Overview of DNI at four solar meteorological stations

Interannual variability

Long-term monthly averages, minima and maxima

Comparison of long-term average of daily totals: original and regionally-adapted values

Map of DNI long-term average (period 1999-2017)

Hanimaadhoo

Hulhulé

Kadhdhoo

Gan

Original[kWh/m2]

4.22

4.47

4.63

4.70

Adapted[kWh/m2]

3.96

4.11

4.28

4.41

Difference[%]

-6.2

-8.1

-7.6

-6.2

Solar meteorological station

ResultsThe data measured at four solar meteorological stations contrib-uted substantially to understanding of solar resource availability and variability in Maldives. The measurements also helped to improve accuracy of the solar model in the region. Now, the model can produce more accurate solar and meteorological data for any location. The overall uncertainty of yearly values for the most of territory of Maldives has been reduced from the original ±6% to ±3.5% for global horizontal irradiation (GHI), and from ±12% to ±6% for direct normal irradiation (DNI), respectively. Complete set of measurements is publicly available for download. For each site, collocated with the solar merteorological stations, a set

of historical time series representing a period of 1999 to 2017 is calculated by the accuracy-enhanced models. The model data outputs include also TMY for P50 and P90 probabilities of exceedance. The procedures and results are documented in the consultancy reports, and have been supported by workshops.

Map data sources: Solar resource database © 2018 Solargis • Topo data provided by Government of Maldives, 2015 • Solargis database version: 2.1 • Map issue date: 2018-09-27. Copyright © 2018 Solargis. Disclaimer: Considering the nature of climate fluctuations, interannual and long-term changes, as well as the uncertainty of measurements and applied methods, Solargis does not take any responsibility whatsoever, and does not give any warranty on the accuracy of the data that were used to produce this map. Solargis has done its utmost to assess climate conditions based on the best available data, software, and knowledge. It is recommended that this map be used as a guideline rather than an instrument for building the solar power systems. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Malé, the capital of Maldives, with the position of Hulhulé solar meteorological station

The Republic of Maldives has no conventional resources of energy. Providing electricity to the dispersed islands is overwhelmingly dependent on imported diesel fuel. Supporting the development of renewable energy (RE) contributes to longer term goals including the World Bank’s twin corporate goals of (i) eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 and (ii) boosting shared prosperity. The Government of Maldives is aware of environmental degra-dation as a result of the heavy dependence on diesel fuel and global warming.

The improved quality of available information on RE resources in the Maldives by developing solar resource maps and models as one of the priority renewables will (i) provide a detailed assessment and geospatial planning framework for RE resources in the Maldives, (ii) increase the awareness and knowledge of the Government and other energy sector players on RE potential, and (iii) encourage new public and private sector investments in RE projects.

Technical reports, online data access and more informationesmap.org/re_mapping_maldivesglobalsolaratlas.info/downloads/maldivesenergydata.info

2 Hulhulé

OriginalAfter regional

adaptationTheoretically

best-achievable

Global Horizontal Irradiation GHI ±6.0% ±3.5% ±2.5%

Direct Normal Irradiation DNI ±12.0% ±6.0% ±3.5%

AcronymLong-term annual estimates

Uncertainty of the Solargis model

About

This leaflet presents results from the World Bank’s Solar Resource Mapping project in Maldives.

The project is funded by the Energy Sector Management

Assistance Program (ESMAP), under a global initiative

in support of renewable energy resource assessment

and mapping, together with the Asia Sustainable and

Alternative Energy Program (ASTAE), both administered

by the World Bank and supported by bilateral donors.

The Solar Resource Mapping project in Maldives has been

developed in a close coordination with the Ministry of Environment (previously Ministry of Environment and

Energy) of Maldives, the World Bank’s primary country

counterpart for this project.

Under the project, a solar and meteorological

measurement campaign was carried out on four

meteorological sites for a period of two years with the

aim of reducing the uncertainty and improving the

accuracy of solar resource models in the Maldives. The

results are presented in the country-wide regionally

adapted satellite-based solar model. The data and maps

with improved accuracy can be used for knowledge-based

decision making for solar energy investments in Maldives.

The results will also be uploaded into the Global Solar

Atlas.

World Bank GroupThe World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

ESMAPESMAP is a partnership between the World Bank Group and its 18 partners to help low and middle income countries reduce poverty and boost growth, through environmentally sustainable energy solutions.

MAIN CONTRACTOR Solargis s.r.o.Mytna 48, 81107 [email protected]

SUBCONTRACTORSuntrace GmbHGrosse Elbstrasse 145c 22767 HamburgGermany

Solar Resource Mapping

Project results can be consulted also on globalsolaratlas.info and energydata.info websites

LOCAL PARTNER Renewable Energy Maldives Pvt. Ltd.REM Showroom, G. Fus Hadheebee MaguMale 20086Republic of Maldives

SolargisSolargis is an international consultancy and technology company in the field of solar resource and photovoltaic energy assessment. The company has been leading the execution of Solar Resource Mapping project in Maldives, in cooperation with the subcontractor Suntrace and the local partner Renewable Energy Maldives, who were responsible for solar measurement campaign.