Solar radiation & Geometry

Dr. Jayaraj Y. Kudariyavar

 Solar Energy – A Bright Idea!
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy.
What a source of power! I hope we don’t have
to wait ‘til oil and coal run out before we
tackle that.”
- Thomas Edison
 People have been harnessing
solar energy for a long time!

Solar collector for

heating water

A home in California in 1906

 Solar energy
• The three relevant bands, or ranges are
• Ultraviolet, Visible (PAR), and Infrared
• Infrared radiation makes up 49.4%
• Visible light provides 42.3%
• Ultraviolet radiation makes up just over 8% of
the total solar radiation
 Extra-Terrestrial radiation
• Radiation: The process of heat transfer through the
emission of electromagnetic waves which carry
energy.
• Solar Radiation: The word “Solar Radiation” is the
electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the
sun. Solar Radiation drives the physical and
biological cycles in reaching the earth.
• Extra-Terrestrial radiation: The extraterrestrial
radiation is the solar radiation which is incident
outside the earth’s surface. The extraterrestrial
radiation is 1367 watts/m2
 Extra-Terrestrial radiation
Due to the change in distance between earth and sun, there is a seasonal variation in
the extraterrestrial rate.
 Solar extra terrestrial radiation
• Orientation of sun and earth is such that the
sun-earth distance varies only by 1.7%
• Thus the solar radiation on outside earth
atmosphere is nearly fixed Intensities
• The radiant energy flux received per second
by surface of unit area held normal to the
direction of solar radiation at mean earth-sun
distance is known as solar constant .
 Solar Constant
• The extraterrestrial solar radiation received by the earth is essentially
constant.
• The solar constant, a measure of flux, is the amount of incoming solar
electromagnetic radiation per unit area that would be incident on a plane
perpendicular to the rays, at a distance of one astronomical unit (AU)
(roughly the mean distance from the Sun to the Earth).
• The rate at which solar energy arrives at the top of the atmosphere is called
the solar constant.
• Solar constant is taken as 1367 W/m2 .
 Solar radiation at the earth’s surface
• Beam radiation:
• Diffused radiation:
• Global radiation:
 Solar radiations
• Solar radiations that reach earth’s atmosphere can be
classified as beam radiation and diffuse radiations
• Beam radiation: is propagating along the line joining the
receiving surface and the sun. It is also known as direct
radiation
• Diffused radiation: is solar radiation scattered by
aerosols, dust molecules does not have unique direction
• Irradiance(W/m2):Rate at which radiant energy is
incident on a surface per unit area of surface
• Radiosity or radiant exitance (W/m2): Rate at which
radiant energy leaves a surface per unit area by emission,
reflection and transmission.
 Continued……
• Scattering by air molecules, water vapors and dust
particles results in attenuation of radiation
• From the point of view of terrestrial applications of solar
radiation of wavelength 0.29 to 2.3 μm is significant
• This is characterized by air mass
• It is defined as ratio of the optical thickness of the
atmosphere through which beam radiation pass to the
optical thickness if the sun were at zenith
• Large air mass value indicate that solar radiation travel
greater distance in atmosphere, thus it is prone to
attenuation
• Air mass= AB/AC = sec ψ = 1/cos ψ
 Continued……
• Irradiation (J/m2): Incident energy per unit
area on a surface, found by the integration of
irradiance over a specified time, usually an
hour or a day
– Insolation is the term applied specifically to solar
energy irradiation.
– Symbol H is used for insolation for a day
– I is used for insolation for an hour
– Both H & I used for beam, diffused & global and
can be used for surfaces of any orientation
 Solar radiation geometry
• Latitude ( φ )
• Declination(δ)
• Hour angle (w)
• Solar azimuth angle (γs)
• Slope or tilt angle (β)
• Altitude angle(α)
• Zenith angle(θz)
Latitude ( φ ) IS THE ANGLE
MADE BY THE
RADIAL LINE JOIING
GIVEN LOCAION (P)
TO THE CENTRE OF
THE EARTH WITH
ITS PROJECTION ON
EQUTORIAL PLANE.

+ve for northern

hemisphere,

–ve for southern

hemisphere
Declination ( δ ) IS THE ANLE
between the line
joining the centers
of the sun and the
earth and its
projection on the
equatorial plane.

23.45o
(on June 21 )
to
-23.45o
(on December 21)
• Zenith ( θz ):
– It is the angle between the
sun’s ray and perpendicular
line to the horizontal plane.

• Altitude (α)
– It is defined as the angle
between sun rays and a
horizontal plane also (α= 90-θz)
• Slope ( β)
– Angle between plane surface,
under consideration and horizontal
– +ve for surface sloping towards
south,
– -ve for surface sloping towards
north
• Solar azimuth angle (γs)
– It is a angle in horizontal plane between the line due south and the
projection of beam radiation on the horizontal plane
– Conventionally
• +ve for projection is east of south
• –ve for west of south for northern hemisphere
– Vice versa for southern hemisphere
• Solar wall azimuth angle (αw)
– It is the angle between normal to the inclined plane and projection of
sun’s ray in a horizontal plane
• Hour angle
– It is a angle through which the earth must be rotated
to bring the meridian of plane directly under the sun
OR Angular displacement of the sun east or west of
local meridian, due to the rotation of the sun east or
west of local meridian, due to the rotation of the
earth on its axis at 15 per hour
– Hour angle at noon zero at noon, -ve for morning +ve
for afternoon for northern hemisphere
– Vice versa for southern hemisphere.
• ω = (St-12) × 15
• Surface azimuth angle (γ)
– It is the angle in the horizontal plane,
between the line due south and the
projection of the normal to the
surface (inclined plane) on the
horizontal plane
– By convention angle is
• –ve if the projection is east of south and
• +ve if west of south for northern
hemisphere
– Vice versa for southern hemisphere
– γ for northern hemisphere of various
orientation
• 0-sloped towards the south
• 180 - sloped towards the north
• -90 -sloped towards the east
• +90 -sloped towards the west
• -45 - sloped towards the south-East
• +45 -sloped towards the south-west