Solar Radiation Applications

Two essential components of solar energy which are derivable from the sun-radiant light (passive solar power) and heat (active solar powers) have been harnessed for decades using a range of continuously-evolving and cutting-edge technologies. Such technologies include solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture and photo emitters. Recently, there has been active research in solar energy resources due to improvements in solar panel geometry, photo-cell materials, glazing and panel orientation. Equally, more rigorous methods of modeling inter-reflections within curvilinear surfaces are now being evaluated for simplified analytical evaluations. Therefore, this book, Solar Radiation Applications, presents the outcomes of selective and classic works on the optimization of these essential fields in active solar energy research.

Written by a leading scientist with over 35 years of experience working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Solar Radiation: Practical Modeling for Renewable Energy Applications brings together the most widely used, easily implemented concepts and models for estimating broadband and spectral solar radiation data. The author addresses various technical and practical questions about the accuracy of solar radiation measurements and modeling. While the focus is on engineering models and results, the book does review the fundamentals of solar radiation modeling and solar radiation measurements. It also examines the accuracy of solar radiation modeling and measurements. The majority of the book describes the most popular simple models for estimating broadband and spectral solar resources available to flat plate, concentrating, photovoltaic, solar thermal, and daylighting engineering designs. Sufficient detail is provided for readers to implement the models in assorted development environments. Covering the nuts and bolts of practical solar radiation modeling applications, this book helps readers translate solar radiation data into viable, real-world renewable energy applications. It answers many how-to questions relating to solar energy conversion systems, solar daylighting, energy efficiency of buildings, and other solar radiation applications.

Solar radiation data is important for a wide range of applications, e.g. in engineering, agriculture, health sector, and in many fields of the natural sciences. A few examples showing the diversity of applications may include: architecture and building design, e.g. air conditioning and cooling systems; solar heating system design and use; solar power generation; evaporation and irrigation; calculation of water requirements for crops; monitoring plant growth and disease control; skin cancer research.

An Introduction to Solar Radiation is an introductory text on solar radiation, with emphasis on the methods of calculation for determining the amount of solar radiation incident on a surface on the earth. Topics covered include the astronomical relationship between the sun and the earth; thermal radiation; the solar constant and its spectral distribution; and extraterrestrial solar irradiation. This book is comprised of 12 chapters and begins with an overview of the trigonometric relationships between the sun-earth line and the position of an inclined surface, followed by a discussion on the characteristics of blackbody radiation. The next chapter focuses on the solar constant and its spectral distribution, paying particular attention to extraterrestrial solar spectral irradiance and the sun's blackbody temperature. Subsequent chapters explore extraterrestrial and radiation incident on inclined planes; the optics of a cloudless-sky atmosphere; solar spectral radiation and total (broadband) radiation under cloudless skies; and solar radiation arriving at horizontal surfaces on the earth through cloudy skies. The ground albedo and its spectral and angular variation are also described, along with insolation on inclined surfaces. The last chapter is devoted to instruments for measuring solar radiation, including pyrheliometers and pyranometers. This monograph will serve as a useful guide for energy analysts, designers of thermal devices, architects and engineers, agronomists, and hydrologists as well as senior graduate students.

This volume provides a valuable overview of the Commission's current activities in research on solar radiation data and in the development of solar energy applications in buildings. It contains the proceedings of the second contractors' co ordination meeting in the third four year R+D programme (1985-88) in these two fields, which was held in Brussels on 1 and 2 OCtober 1987. The first meeting was held on 13 and 14 November 1986. (') The research contractors' reports presented in this book give a full account of activities at an important stage in the programme where most projects have completed their preparatory stages and productive research is now fully underway. A feature of the reports is the pattern they illustrate of working groups in which practically all of the Member states are represented, co operating in the attainment of common goals within a co ordinated European programme. The meeting was attended by 60 participants and extended over two days. Presentations were made by the contractors on the objectives of their projects, progress made in the research, and future work plans and priorities. Each presentation was followed by a short d- cussion. The meeting was also important in improving communications between the research groups, exposing opportunities for co operation and collaboration, and monitoring progress. Among key achievements reported in the area 'Solar Radiation Data' is the implementation of a network of measuring stations at eight proto typical sites throughout Europe.

Sun Power: An Introduction to the Applications of Solar Energy, Second Edition is a non-technical introduction to the wide range of solar energy applications. It has been extensively updated and enlarged to include new sections on passive solar heating and cooling and an examination of the social, legal and environmental issues concerning solar technology and utilization. Practical construction details of several modern solar systems are included together with methods of assessing their economic viability. Contains an extensive bibliography of over 600 references.

This book includes up-to-date and detailed information on fundamental principles, measurement, modeling, and forecasting of solar radiation for technologies and applications of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy. The book also presents basic, modern, and contemporary knowledge and techniques of reliability and performance assessment for PV systems. It includes eleven chapters in four sections: “Introduction”, “Fundamentals, Measurements and Modeling of Solar Radiation”, “Forecasting and Characterization of Solar Radiation”, and “Solar Photovoltaic Technologies and Applications”. Chapters address such topics as fundamental principles, accurate measurements, and modeling of solar radiation; innovative methods for forecasting and characterization of solar radiation; PV technology and application, from conventional and emerging PV technologies to bifacial PV cells and modules and concentrator PV systems; and recent advances in reliability and performance assessment for PV systems, including outdoor characterization, degradation analysis, and PV power prediction.

Proceedings of the EC Contractors' Meeting held in Brussels, Belgium, November 13-14, 1986