Explorations in Astronomy & Astrophysics
ISSN: 3069-0811 | DOI: 10.64030/3069-0811
Muhammad Salihu, J. A. Ezenwora and J. O. Eichie
This study presents a geospatial evaluation of solar energy potential across the twenty-five Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Niger State, Nigeria. Twenty years (2002-2022) of ground-measured solar radiation data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and satellite-derived data from NASA's Surface meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) database were standardised to kWh/m²/day and combined with topographic parameters like slope, aspect, and elevation derived from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). kriging was used to interpolate solar radiation at locations without ground stations, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to weight and integrate the four criteria (solar radiation 0.40, slope 0.25, aspect 0.20, elevation 0.15; consistency ratio = 0.08) into a composite solar potential map. Results show that 52.76% of Niger State falls within the High or Very High potential classes, concentrated around Chanchaga, Bosso and Shiroro, while only 0.13% is classed as Very Low. Comparison of the two data sources revealed a systematic underestimation by satellite data relative to ground measurements, with discrepancies of 1.49-1.59 kWh/m²/day, largest at Rijau. The findings support prioritising high-potential LGAs for utility-scale solar development and recommend localised calibration of satellite-derived radiation products for solar resource assessment in similar data-sparse regions of the Sahel.