Estimate of Global Solar Radiation by Using Artificial Neural Network in Qena, Upper Egypt

This paper explores the possibility of developing a prediction model using artificial neural networks (ANNs), which could be used to estimate monthly average daily global solar radiation in Qena, upper Egypt.Results from the paper have shown good agreement between the estimated and measured values of global solar irradiation.A correlation coefficient of 0.998 was obtained with mean bias error (MBE) of 48 Wh/m2 and root mean square error (RMBE) of 115 Wh/m2.The comparison between the ANN and empirical model emphasized the superiority of the proposed ANN prediction model.The application of the proposed ANN model can be extended to other locations with similar climate and terrain.