This paper is an assessment of aerosols impact on solar potential available in Burkina Faso in 2017. Three measurement stations were selected from the North to the South according to the climatic zones, with sites at Dori (14.035°N, 0.034°W) in the North, Ouagadougou (12.20°N, 1.40°W) in the Center and Gaoua (10.29°N, 3.25°W) in the Southwest, respectively. This study is based on in-situ measurements, satellite observations and a tropospheric standard model of the Streamer radiative transfer code of atmospheric particles. The results show a high availability of solar irradiation with average monthly values ranging between 4.46 kWh/m²/d and 6.82 kWh/m²/d. The most favorable periods with maximum radiation are observed in Spring in March and in Fall in October. Yet, the qualitative comparison between the evolution of aerosols and that of solar potential clearly shows aerosols capacity to influence the radiation at the crossing of the atmosphere. Thus, the aerosols maxima correspond to the solar potential minima. Moreover, a comparison between the day cycles of solar radiation and those of the simulation model shows a good accuracy of the Streamer code to estimate the solar flows at the surface in a standard atmosphere without clouds in Burkina Faso.However, a quantification of the aerosol impact by the Streamer code reveals a reduction in the normal direct flow compared to clear days defined by aerosol optical depth (AOD) less than 0.2 (AOD
Aerosols, solar potential, model streamer, MODIS, AERONET, Burkina Faso