Assessments and perspectives of PV solar power engineering in the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Tomislav M. Pavlovic a,n , Dragana D. Milosavljevic a , Dragoljub Mirjanic b , Lana S. Pantic a , Ivana S. Radonjic a , Danica Pirsl a a Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niˇ s, Viˇ segradska 33, ˇ Carnojevic ´a 10a, 18000 Niˇ s, Republic of Serbia b Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpska, Trg srpskih vladara 2, 78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska article info Article history: Received 7 September 2011 Received in revised form 5 October 2012 Accepted 8 October 2012 Keywords: Solar energy Photovoltaic systems Photovoltaic in Bosnia and Herzegovina Climatic characteristics of the Republic of Srpska Photovoltaic in the Republic Of Srpska abstract The paper focuses on the possibilities of generating electrical energy by means of on-grid PV solar systems of 1 kW in the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The paper proceeds to tackle with the legislative concerning renewable sources of energy and current state of the use of PV systems in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, climate conditions and energy potential of the renewable sources in the Republic of Srpska. Based on PVGIS program, the results of calculation of the yearly average values of the optimal panel inclination, solar irradiation on the horizontal, vertical and optimally inclined plane, ratio of diffuse to global solar irradiation, linke turbidity, average daytime temperature and 24 h average of temperature for 13 cities in the Republic of Srpska are given. Total for year sum of global irradiation per square meter received by the modules of the optimally inclined fixed PV solar plants of 1 kW, optimally inclined one-axis and dual-axis tracking PV solar plants of 1 kW, and total for year electricity production of different types of PV solar plant of 1 kW for 13 cities in the Republic of Srpska, obtained by PVGIS are given. Comparison of the total for year electricity production of different types of PV solar plant of 1 kW with monocrystaline silicon, CdTe and CIS solar modules, respective, to 13 cities in the Republic of Srpska are given. Calculations performed by PVGIS program have shown that irrespectable of the type of PV solar plants, most electrical energy in the Republic of Srpska can be generated by means of PV solar plants with CdTe solar cells. Some practical data and considerations given in this paper can be used by a customer or company keen to invest in the PV sector in the Republic of Srpska. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 120 2. Advantage of solar energy and photovoltaic technologies .................................................................. 120 3. PV solar systems .................................................................................................. 122 4. Administrative subdivisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina ................................................................... 123 4.1. Renewable energies policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina ............................................................. 123 4.2. Current photovoltaic status in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska ....................................... 124 5. Geographic position and climatic characteristics of the Republic of Srpska .................................................... 124 5.1. Climatic characteristics of the peri-panonic area of the Republic of Srpska .............................................. 125 5.2. Characteristics of the mountain and mountain–valley climate of the Republic of Srpska ................................... 125 5.3. Changed variant of the adriatic climate of the Republic of Srpska ..................................................... 125 6. Results and discussion .............................................................................................. 125 6.1. Solar irradiation in the Republic of Srpska ........................................................................ 127 6.2. Electricity production of different types of PV solar plant of 1 kW in 13 cities in the Republic of Srpska ...................... 129 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1364-0321/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.10.007 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ381 18225483; fax: þ381 18533014. E-mail addresses: pavlovic@pmf.ni.ac.rs (T.M. Pavlovic), dragana82nis@yahoo.com (D.D. Milosavljevic), mirjanicd@gmail.com (D. Mirjanic), lana@pan.rs (L.S. Pantic), r_ivana_fizika@yahoo.com (I.S. Radonjic), danicapirsl@yahoo.com (D. Pirsl). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 18 (2013) 119–133