Specifications
Pyranometer App
| Platform | iPhone |
| Purpose | fun, educational |
| Cost | free of charge |
| Download | via iTunes Store or Apple Apps Store |
| Measurand | hemispherical solar radiation |
| Calibration traceability | against local station |
| What we do? | download App > study manual > print diffusor > install diffusor > calibrate > measure |
Options
With the optional addition of VMA01 mounting adapter plate, VU01 ventilated pyranometers can also be in installed on PMF01
There are other mounting options available for SR30, SR15 and SR05 pyranometer series. They allow for simplified mounting, levelling and instrument exchange on a flat surface or a tube. Take a look at the SR30, SR15, SR05 user manuals for these options.
Downloads
(PDF, 1.65 MB)
The iPhone App is a gadget for fun and educational purposes only. In daily life measurement of solar radiation is done by highly accurate pyranometers. These pyranometers are used for measurements of weather, climate, solar energy production, agriculture and other related fields.
The Pyranometer App is provided for free by Hukseflux Thermal Sensors, market leader in solar radiation measurement instruments. With the App, our clients, users and other interested people can give a glimpse to family and friends what concerns them in professional life. With the introduction of this App in iTunes, Hukseflux became the inventor of the iPhone “camera+diffusor” measurement principle.
Download the free App from the iTunes Store or Apple Apps Store. Pyranometer App version 2.0 has cool, new features and improved usability and iOS compatibility.
Suggested use
- For fun and educational purposes only
How does a pyranometer work?
A pyranometer measures the solar radiation received by a plane surface from a 180 ° field of view angle. This quantity, expressed in W/m², is called “hemispherical” solar radiation. The solar radiation spectrum extends roughly from 285 to 3000 x 10⁻⁹ m. By definition a pyranometer should cover that spectral range with a spectral selectivity that is as “flat” as possible.
In an irradiance measurement by definition the response to “beam” radiation varies with the cosine of the angle of incidence; i.e. it should have full response when the solar radiation hits the sensor perpendicularly (normal to the surface, sun at zenith, 0 ° angle of incidence), zero response when the sun is at the horizon (90 ° angle of incidence, 90 ° zenith angle), and 50 % of full response at 60 ° angle of incidence. A pyranometer should have a so-called “directional response” (older documents mention “cosine response”) that is as close as possible to the ideal cosine characteristic.
In order to attain the proper directional and spectral characteristics, a pyranometer’s main components are:
• a thermal sensor with black coating. It has a flat spectrum covering the 200 to 50000 x 10⁻⁹ m range, and has a near-perfect directional response. The coating absorbs all solar radiation and, at the moment of absorption, converts it to heat. The heat flows through the sensor to the sensor body. The thermopile sensor generates a voltage output signal that is proportional to the solar irradiance.
• a glass dome. This dome limits the spectral range from 285 to 3000 x 10⁻⁹ m (cutting off the part above 3000 x 10⁻⁹ m), while preserving the 180 ° field of view angle. Another function of the dome is that it shields the thermopile sensor from the environment (convection, rain).
• a second (inner) glass dome: For secondary standard and first class pyranometers, two domes are used, and not one single dome. This construction provides an additional “radiation shield”, resulting in a better thermal equilibrium between the sensor and inner dome, compared to using a single dome. The effect of having a second dome is a strong reduction of instrument offsets.
• a heater: in order to reduce the effect of dew deposition and frost on the outer dome surface, most advanced pyranometers have a built-in heater. The heater is coupled to the sensor body. Heating a pyranometer can generate additional irradiance offset signals, therefore it is recommended to activate the heater only during night-time. Combining a heater with external ventilation makes these heating offsets very low.
Why use a pyranometer?
There are good reasons why pyranometers are the standard for solar radiation measurement in outdoor PV system performance monitoring.
The purpose of outdoor PV testing is to compare the available resource to system output and thus to determine efficiency. The efficiency estimate serves as an indication of overall performance and stability. It also serves as a reference for remote diagnostics and need for servicing.
The irradiance measurement for outdoor PV performance monitoring is usually carried out with pyranometers. Some standards suggest using PV reference cells. Reference cells are (with some minor exceptions) unsuitable for proof in bankability and in proof of PV system efficiency. Pyranometers are and will remain the standard for outdoor solar energy monitoring.
From a fundamental point of view:
- Pyranometers measure truly available solar irradiance (so the amount of available resource). This is the parameter you need to have for a true efficiency calculation.
- Reference cells measure only that part of solar radiation that can be used by cells of identical material and identical packaging (flat window), so the yield of a certain PV cell type. This is not a measurement that can be used in an efficiency calculation and in fact leads to several percentage points error in efficiency estimates.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and ASTM standards for PV monitoring recommend pyranometers for outdoor PV monitoring. PV reference cells do not meet IEC 61724-1 class A requirements for irradiance measurement uncertainty: their directional response makes them systematically overestimate daily radiant exposure in J/m2 (or W·hr/m2 ) by more than 2 %, larger on hourly basis.
How do I choose a pyranometer?
- are there standards for my application?
- what level of accuracy do I need?
- what will be the instrument maintenance level?
- what are the interfacing possibilities?
- recommended pyranometer class
- recommended maintenance level
- estimate of the measurement accuracy
- recommended calibration policy
- recommended interface
What is the difference between a pyrheliometer and a pyranometer?
A pyranometer measures hemispherical solar radiation. When measuring in the horizontal plane this is called Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI). When measuring in “plane of array”, next to PV panels, this is called plane of array POA irradiance.
A pyrheliometer is used to measure Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI). DNI is defined as the solar radiant flux collected by a plane unit surface normal to the axis pointing towards the centre of the sun, within an optical angular aperture. DNI is composed of the solar irradiance within the extent of the solar disk (half-angle 0.266 ° ± 1.7 %) plus some circumsolar radiation.
Pyranometer App
- it enables you to measure solar irradiance in Watt per square metre (W/m²)!
- the Pyranometer App is provided for free by Hukseflux Thermal Sensors
- give family and friends a glimpse of your professional life!
