Project Initiative

In line with the Qatar National Vision and to support the adoption of solar energy in Qatar, the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) launched a solar resource assessment research and development program in 2012. The initial asset development of this endeavor included a high-precision solar radiation monitoring station in the Education City, Doha, Qatar.

In the following years, QEERI extended its expertise in solar resource assessment through the deployment of state-of-the-art measurement equipment and methodologies for the development and validation of solar radiation mapping and forecasting models. These models generate data that are essential for the planning and management of solar energy projects. The solar data resources produced at QEERI have already been used by commercial companies in the development of plans for the 800 MW PV plant in Al Kharsaah.

Through a collaboration agreement with Qatar Meteorological Department (QMD), QEERI has recently deployed a network of 13 high-quality solar radiation monitoring stations across Qatar, that provide reliable measurements of the three components of solar radiation: direct normal irradiation (DNI), global horizontal irradiation (GHI), and diffuse horizontal irradiation (DHI). The solar radiation measurements from the 13 stations offer a comprehensive coverage of solar resources across Qatar that forms a primary source of knowledge for the development and management of solar energy applications in the country.

The Solar Atlas of Qatar is a web portal service developed by QEERI to disseminate measurement data from solar monitoring stations, and model data from these measurements that map and forecast solar resources everywhere in Qatar. Measurement and model data are constantly updated to provide a streaming data service to inform real-world solar energy applications and solar energy research. GIS visualization provides an additional level of analysis and display in the form of solar radiation maps. This application is currently under development.