Generation of typical meteorological years at 30 sites in Saudi Arabia for solar energy applications

Ashraf Farahat; Harry D Kambezidis; Abdulhaleem Labban; Kosmas A Kavadias; Ashraf Farahat; Harry D Kambezidis; Abdulhaleem Labban; Kosmas A Kavadias

doi:10.3934/geosci.2026019

AIMS Geosciences

2026, Volume 12, Issue 2: 499-523. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026019

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Research article

Generation of typical meteorological years at 30 sites in Saudi Arabia for solar energy applications

1.
Department of Physics, College of Engineering and Physics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran SA-31261, Saudi Arabia
2.
Centre of Aviation and Space Exploration, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran SA-31261, Saudi Arabia
3.
Centre of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran SA-31261, Saudi Arabia
4.
Institute of Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, GR-11810 Athens, Greece
5.
Laboratory of Soft Energies and Environmental Protection, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica, GR-12241 Athens, Greece
6.
Department of Meteorology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, SA-21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Received: 28 November 2025 Revised: 27 February 2026 Accepted: 19 March 2026 Published: 12 May 2026

Typical Meteorological Years (TMYs) are synthetic annual datasets constructed from long-term observations to represent the characteristic climatic conditions of a location. Rather than reproducing extreme events, a TMY captures the typical variability of key meteorological parameters and is widely used in energy system modeling, building performance simulations, and climate-responsive design. Although TMYs have been developed for many regions worldwide, no comprehensive effort has been made for Saudi Arabia, despite its rapidly growing interest in solar energy. In this study, we present the first derivation of TMYs for thirty sites across the country. Hourly observations of global, direct, and diffuse horizontal irradiance, air temperature, relative humidity, and mean and maximum wind speed were quality-controlled and processed. The modified Sandia National Laboratories method, based on the Finkelstein–Schafer (FS) statistical procedure, was applied to select representative months and assemble each TMY. Graphical diagnostics and statistical indicators were used to evaluate the agreement between the generated TMYs and long-term climatological averages. The results demosntrated that the constructed TMYs successfully reproduce the typical meteorological behavior at all sites, providing reliable input data for solar-energy assessments and other climate-sensitive applications in Saudi Arabia.
- typical meteorological years,
- solar energy applications,
- Finkelstein-Schafer procedure,
- Saudi Arabia
Citation: Ashraf Farahat, Harry D Kambezidis, Abdulhaleem Labban, Kosmas A Kavadias. Generation of typical meteorological years at 30 sites in Saudi Arabia for solar energy applications[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2026, 12(2): 499-523. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026019

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Abstract

Typical Meteorological Years (TMYs) are synthetic annual datasets constructed from long-term observations to represent the characteristic climatic conditions of a location. Rather than reproducing extreme events, a TMY captures the typical variability of key meteorological parameters and is widely used in energy system modeling, building performance simulations, and climate-responsive design. Although TMYs have been developed for many regions worldwide, no comprehensive effort has been made for Saudi Arabia, despite its rapidly growing interest in solar energy. In this study, we present the first derivation of TMYs for thirty sites across the country. Hourly observations of global, direct, and diffuse horizontal irradiance, air temperature, relative humidity, and mean and maximum wind speed were quality-controlled and processed. The modified Sandia National Laboratories method, based on the Finkelstein–Schafer (FS) statistical procedure, was applied to select representative months and assemble each TMY. Graphical diagnostics and statistical indicators were used to evaluate the agreement between the generated TMYs and long-term climatological averages. The results demosntrated that the constructed TMYs successfully reproduce the typical meteorological behavior at all sites, providing reliable input data for solar-energy assessments and other climate-sensitive applications in Saudi Arabia.

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