The solar radiation maps on this page are raster layers with a resolution of 100 m, in UTM-30N projection and ETRS89 datum that contain solar radiation data in the Iberian Peninsula and are distributed in two formats:
MiraMon: .img in .mmzx (ISO 19165:2018), openable directly in MiraMon. GeoTIFF: .tif in .zip (ISO/IEC 21320-1:2015), openable in various environments after downloading the ZIP.
The InsolMets method is a calculation algorithm that provides an estimate of solar radiation on the land surface based on Remote Sensing atmospheric data (Cloud Optical Thickness, Cloud Fractional Cover) that allows calculating direct radiation under both cloudy and clear sky conditions, and applying a differentiated COT treatment in both scenarios. Furthermore, it considers the estimation of the diffuse component contribution as the ratio to the direct component crossing the atmosphere under clear sky conditions, using observed data at different meteorological stations. The solar position is computed at centers of a set of overlapped tiles of a Digital Elevation Model, ensuring that the solar radiation differences between the central point of each tile and any other point are ≤ 1.00 % and that cast-shadows are properly considered on the tile borders. The model also includes the calculation of the incidence angles with respect to the relief, topographic cast-shading, atmospheric extinction, etc. These characteristics make InsolMets an especially valuable tool, as it allows for the accurate assessment of solar radiation in complex terrains with changing spatiotemporal atmospheric and climatic conditions, adjusting to the specific features of each terrain. The calculations have been carried out considering the movement of the Sun every 30' from sunrise to sunset, using the InsolDia application of the MiraMon software and are provided in energy units (kWh) per m² and per day.
The data on this page have been prepared by Catalina Roca-Fernández, Xavier Pons and Miquel Ninyerola, from the Grumets research group at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as a part of a comparative study of methods for calculating solar radiation in the Iberian Peninsula, currently under review in the journal Atmosphere.
Solar radiation layers are offered for the 12 months of the year as an average calculated between 2004 and 2020 (12 layers), as well as in disaggregated form for each month and year (17*12=204 layers).
As a comparative alternative to the InsolMets method, you can also download solar radiation data calculated with the CAC method, which uses a simpler treatment of the atmosphere and does not require Remote Sensing data.
Monthly climate data for the period 2004-2020:
Data month by month and year by year in the period 2004-2020:
For any questions you can write to Xavier.Pons@uab.cat