Solar radiation estimation using sunshine hour and air pollution index in China.

Highlights: [•] Aerosol can affect coefficients of A–P equation to estimate solar radiation. [•] Logarithmic model performed best, according to MBE, MABE, MPE, MAPE, RMSE and NSE. [•] Parameters of A–P model can be adjusted by API, geographical position and altitude. [•] A general equation to estimate solar radiation was established in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]