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Renewable Energy Sources Unit 11

Solar energy is a clean and renewable resource received on Earth in a dilute form, influenced by atmospheric conditions and latitude. Various units are used to measure solar energy and power, including Joules and watts per square meter, with instruments like pyranometers and pyrheliometers employed for measurement. Understanding solar radiation is crucial for applications in climate research, agriculture, and solar energy system design.

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16 views23 pages

Renewable Energy Sources Unit 11

Solar energy is a clean and renewable resource received on Earth in a dilute form, influenced by atmospheric conditions and latitude. Various units are used to measure solar energy and power, including Joules and watts per square meter, with instruments like pyranometers and pyrheliometers employed for measurement. Understanding solar radiation is crucial for applications in climate research, agriculture, and solar energy system design.

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sangeetha gopinath
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit 2

• Solar energy is an important, clean, cheap and abundantly available


renewable energy.
• It is received on Earth in cyclic, intermittent and dilute form with very low
power density 0 to 1 kW/m2.
• Solar energy received on the ground level is affected by atmospheric clarity,
degree of latitude, etc.
• For design purpose, the variation of available solar power, the optimum tilt
angle of solar flat plate collectors, the location and orientation of the
heliostats should be calculated.
Units of solar power and solar energy:

• In SI units, energy is expressed in Joule. Other units are angley and Calorie
where
• 1 angley = 1 Cal/cm2.day
• 1 Cal = 4.186 J
• For solar energy calculations, the energy is measured as an hourly or
monthly or yearly average and is expressed in terms of kJ/m2/day or
kJ/m2/hour.
• Solar power is expressed in terms of W/m2 or kW/m2.
• Solar radiation refers to the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun,
primarily in the form of visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, and infrared (IR)
radiation.
• It is a crucial energy source for Earth and plays a significant role in various
natural processes, including climate, weather patterns, and photosynthesis.
• Measuring solar radiation is important for several applications, including
weather forecasting, climate research, solar energy system design, and
agriculture. There are several methods and instruments used to measure solar
radiation:
Solar Radiation and Measurement
Pyranometers:
• Pyranometers are the most common instruments used to measure global
solar radiation, which includes direct and diffuse radiation.
• These instruments typically consist of a thermopile sensor mounted beneath
a glass dome. The sensor measures the total radiation (direct and diffuse)
incident on the surface.
Pyrheliometers:
• Pyrheliometers are used to measure direct solar radiation, i.e., the solar
radiation that comes directly from the sun without any scattering or
absorption by the atmosphere.
• They are often mounted on a solar tracker to constantly point at the sun.
• Albedometers:
Albedometers measure both incoming solar radiation and reflected solar
radiation from the Earth's surface.
They consist of two pyranometer sensors, one facing upward to measure
incoming radiation and the other facing downward to measure reflected
radiation.

• Spectroradiometers:
Spectroradiometers measure the solar radiation across different wavelengths of
the electromagnetic spectrum.
This allows for detailed analysis of solar radiation characteristics, such as the
distribution of UV, visible, and IR radiation.
• Sunshine Duration Recorders:
• These instruments measure the duration of sunshine over a specific period,
typically using a rotating drum covered with photosensitive paper.
• When sunlight hits the paper, it causes a chemical reaction, leaving a mark that
corresponds to the duration of sunshine.

• Solarimeters:
• Solarimeters are handheld instruments used to measure solar irradiance (Solar
irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the
Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the
measuring instrument) at a specific location.
• They often include a photodiode sensor calibrated to measure solar radiation
intensity in watts per square meter (W/m²).

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