Estimación de la correlación entre radiación solar directa y radiación global horizontal mediante aplicación de instrumentación virtual

Abstract

Electrical energy has been fundamental to the social, economic, and industrial development of societies. In the current context, marked by the need for a transition to renewable energy sources, photovoltaic solar energy emerges as a strategic alternative for Colombia, and particularly for Bogotá, thanks to its location and favorable levels of solar irradiance. The efficient use of this resource depends on a precise understanding of the components of solar radiation, such as global horizontal radiation (GHI) and direct normal radiation (DNI). However, in many contexts, only GHI measurements are available, making it necessary to develop methodologies that allow for estimating the contribution of DNI. In this work, a virtual instrument (VI) was developed in LabVIEW for the acquisition, processing, and analysis of solar radiation data, with the objective of estimating the correlation between global horizontal radiation and direct radiation in the central-eastern sector of Bogotá. Based on measurements taken over 35 days (November–December 2025), a 30.02% correlation was found between the two components, indicating that approximately 69.98% of the irradiance corresponds to diffuse radiation and albedo, highlighting the influence of local atmospheric conditions. The results showed high agreement with IDEAM data for global radiation, with discrepancies of only 1.36% in the daily energy evaluated, thus validating the reliability of the developed system. Furthermore, direct radiation was measured in an area where official records are unavailable, making a significant contribution to the characterization of the local solar resource. It is concluded that Bogotá has a moderate but constant solar potential, where diffuse radiation plays a predominant role. This implies that, although conventional photovoltaic systems are viable, the design and optimization of these systems must consider this characteristic to improve their efficiency and contribute to sustainable energy solutions in the country.