EXPLOITING SOLAR ENERGY WITH PHOTOVOLTAICS

Energy balance of a solar panel is considered in relation to its efficiency. The monthly, seasonal and yearly means of solar radiance exposures are presented in a form of geo-referenced maps for whole Slovenia with a spatial resolution 100 m x 100 m, as well as the diagrams of the optimal tilts and orientation of solar collectors for selected places in Slovenia. In rough relief, not only the whole landscape is divided into sunny and shady parts, but also different sky-view factors influence strongly the diffuse part of radiance exposure. The trend of increasing global solar radiance exposure during the last few decades can partly be explained with the trend of the reduced fog occurrence over Slovenia.