Generation of typical weather data using the ISO Test Reference Year (TRY) method for major cities of South Korea

Computer simulation of buildings and solar energy systems is being used increasingly in energy assessments and design. Simulation often requires hourly weather data. Such data sets are the Test Reference Years (TRYs), Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) and Weather Year for Energy Calculations (WYEC). Typical weather data consists of 8760 values of various selected meteorological parameters such as ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity and wind velocity and are originally derived from long-term data. This paper discusses methods of selecting typical weather data, the possibility of using the cloud cover data instead of daily global radiation and describes the selection of ISO Test Reference Year (TRY) for major cities of South Korea. The ISO-15927 procedure and algorithms are explained in detail and the Finkelstein–Schafer statistic, the basic selector statistic explained. ISO TRYs for the major cities of South Korea are derived from 20 years of meteorological data recorded during the period 1986–2005. A comparison is made between the 7 sites demonstrating the link between dry-bulb temperature, solar radiation and latitude.