Solar potential evaluation and political, economic and social analysis (PES) in the department Cesar – Colombia

This research shows the estimation of direct, diffuse and total irradiation in the department of Cesar (Colombia) through the use of the Bird and Hulstrom model and parameterizations of the Machler and Iqbal model. The data used for this purpose were collected by the meteorological stations installed by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies of Colombia (IDEAM) corresponding to the range of collection and analysis with more than 20 years between 1993 and 2013, a period of study suitable for a comprehensive solarimetric study. Irradiation data were estimated taking into account four types of climate scenarios that depended on the type of atmosphere present in the study area. It was found that the solar potential of the department of Cesar, located on the Colombian Caribbean Coast, presents average total irradiations ranging from 6.2 kWh/m2day in very turbid atmospheres to 6.8 kWh/m2 day in extremely clean atmospheres, making it one of the regions with the highest irradiation values in Colombia. This panorama allows to visualize the great potential that exists in the region for the implementation of projects with both thermal and photovoltaic solar technologies. This study was also complemented with a political, economic and social analysis of Colombia compared to the United State to determine the improvement opportunities in Colombia.