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.

Renewable energy is a critical topic of discussion in contemporary society. With increased attention on alternative methods, solar tracking has emerged as an effective strategy for sustainable energy management. Economical and Technical Considerations for Solar Tracking: Methodologies and Opportunities for Energy Management is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on economic and technical considerations of long-term and short-term solar tracking. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as sun position, solar radiation, and geographic orientation, this publication is ideally designed for students, professionals, and engineers seeking current research on efficient use of solar energy.

The rather specialized field of solar and infrared radiation measurement has become more and more important in the face of growing demands by the renewable energy and climate change research communities for data that are more accurate and have increased temporal and spatial resolution. Updating decades of acquired knowledge in the field, Solar and Infrared Radiation Measurements details the strengths and weaknesses of instruments used to conduct such solar and infrared radiation measurements. Topics covered include: Radiometer design and performance Equipment calibration, installation, operation, and maintenance Data quality assessment Methods to use measured data to estimate irradiance for any surface With a broad range of content that will benefit students and more experienced readers alike, this resource serves as a primer and technical reference that presents the basic terminology and fundamentals for resource assessment. It explores the history of solar radiation instruments and addresses direct normal, global, diffuse, and tilted measurements, as well as the characteristics of instruments used for these measurements. The authors consider methods of assessing the uncertainty of solar measurements and then cover albedo, infrared, net, and spectral irradiance measurements and instrumentation. The book devotes a section to other meteorological instruments, and another to the basics for installing and operating a solar monitoring station. Appendices include information on solar resource assessment modeling and satellite-derived irradiance, along with other useful material. This book’s authors are experts who each have more than 30 years of experience developing and operating multiple measurement stations, working with industry to improve radiometry, and conducting various research projects.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have experienced a tremendous increase in installed capacity in the past decade. Although solar PV power is environmentally friendly and can be used to extend the life of fossil fuel reserves, it is of an intermittent nature. Through nine chapters, this book provides an understanding of solar PV systems’ power output intermittency and its impacts on power systems. The first part of the book highlights the source of the variability of both solar irradiation and PV systems’ output, while the second highlights the impact of factors such as temperature and dust on PV systems’ output variability through case studies. The third part highlights the impacts of PV systems’ output variability of the design and operation of power systems. This book will appeal to students, researchers, operators, engineers, designers, and policymakers working on solar PV or electric power systems design, planning, or operation.