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Solar energy is the most important green energy source that may be used to address the problems caused by conventional energy sources. The research in this paper aims to evaluate the solar energy potential of M'Sila, an Algerian internal region, and to determine which technology, among those currently available on the market, is adequate for harnessing that potential for electricity production (PV and CSP). This assessment was based on data (daily temperature and daily solar irradiation) collected at M'Sila weather station for one year and from the NASA site for 34 years from 1984 to 2017. These data were treated with excel 2016 software to determine the total horizontal, diffuse and direct normal solar irradiation. During the study period, the total solar irradiation falling on a horizontal surface in M'Sila (GHI) was estimated to be 1.79 MWh/m2/year. The diffuse solar irradiation incident on a horizontal surface (DHI) and direct normal irradiation, respectively, were estimated to be 594.88 kWh/m2/year, 2117.93 kWh/m2/year. M'Sila is a favourable land for the installation of concentrating solar power plants and photovoltaic panels due to its significant potential energy. The parabolic trough system is recommended. While polycrystalline PV modules should be promoted and installed in M'Sila.

The building sector is partially in charge of the exhaustion of conventional energy sources, global warming, and environmental pollution. This experimental investigation is devoted to the study of the thermal behaviour of three different building materials used in Algeria, namely sheep wool, traditional brick, and ordinary brick, under real conditions. Three identical chambers were built made of the above-cited materials. Three temperature sensors were placed in the center of the three chambers, which were aligned and separated by approximately 10 cm. The digital acquisition system based on the Arduino board allows us to measure and record temperatures in the middle of the three well-closed rooms for one day (day and night) by oneminute steps. The temperature of the ambient air (outdoor temperature), used as a reference, was taken too. It is found that the thermo-physical properties (thermal diffusivity) of the building materials, in addition to the thickness of the building envelope (walls and roof), play an important role in the heat exchange between the indoor and outdoor. This study aims to encourage the reuse of the traditional bricks seen their advantages in energy saving and environmental preservation.

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