An empirical expression developed to estimate global solar radiation in clear days, on inclined surfaces located at any geographical position, is presented. This expression allows determining the global solar radiation in a specific day of the year, considering the attenuation of radiation in the atmosphere, the air mass factor, astronomic geometric and geographic parameters, and in particular, the altitude. Data calculated with this expression were correlated with those obtained experimentally in Bogota, Colombia (74 degrees 4 ' W, 4 degrees 35 ' N and 2580m, altitude). The correlation of the calculated with the experimental data yielded a coefficient of 0.9980, which indicates the reliability of the former and that the developed expression facilitates the construction of data bases with information on solar radiation potential in ample regions characterized by their locations at different altitudes above sea level. These data bases will supply preliminary information on sites adequate for the installation of photovoltaic systems. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.