EVALUATION DU POTENTIEL SOLAIRE DES REGIONS NATURELLES DE LA GUINEE

This article assesses the solar potential of Guineas four natural regions (Lower Guinea, Middle Guinea, Upper Guinea, and Forest Guinea) based on data from the network of automatic weather stations deployed in 2023 by the National Meteorological Agency (ANM).These stations, equipped with modern sensors, measure key climate parameters (temperature, humidity, wind, solar radiation, precipitation, and pressure). The analysis highlights spatial and seasonal variability in solar radiation : Kankan, Conakry, and Labe have the highest levels of solar radiation, at 230,26 Wh/m2, 225,53 Wh/m2 and 207,19 Wh/m2, reflecting a drier and sunnier climate, while N zerekore, which experiences heavy rainfall, records the lowest value (189,18 Wh/m2). The results show that March, April, and November are the most favorable months for photovoltaic production, whereas July and August are limited by cloud cover. Analysis of the hourly and monthly curves of total solar irradiance showed good agreement among the regions studied. Furthermore, this study identified the sunniest regions in Guinea and the most favorable periods for harnessing solar energy. The results of this study can be used to guide investment decisions in Guinea’s solar energy sector and contribute to the countrys energy transition. The study highlights the importance of extending the observation period (20 to 30 years) to ensure robust validation and proposes, as a future step, the development of a solar potential map covering all prefectures in Guinea and the West African subregion.