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Title: NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: September 22-26, 2014 (NPC-2014)

Abstract

Accurate measurements of direct normal (beam) solar irradiance from pyrheliometers are important for developing and deploying solar energy conversion systems, improving our understanding of the Earth's energy budget for climate change studies, and for other science and technology applications involving solar flux. Providing these measurements places many demands on the quality system used by the operator of commercially available radiometers. Maintaining accurate radiometer calibrations that are traceable to an international standard is the first step in producing research-quality solar irradiance measurements. As with all measurement systems, absolute cavity radiometers and other types of pyrheliometers are subject to performance changes over time. NREL has developed and maintained a select group of absolute cavity radiometers with direct calibration traceability to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR), and uses these reference instruments to calibrate pyrheliometers and pyranometers using the ISO 17025 accredited Broadband Outdoor Radiometer Calibration (BORCAL) process. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pyrheliometer comparisons (NPCs) are held annually at the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) in Golden, Colorado. Open to all pyrheliometer owners and operators, each NPC provides an opportunity to determine the unique WRR transfer factor (WRR-TF) for each participating pyrheliometer. By adjusting all subsequent pyrheliometer measurements by the appropriate WRR-TF, themore » solar irradiance data are traceable to the WRR. NPC-2014 was held September 22-26, 2014. Participants operated 36 absolute cavity radiometers and 22 conventional thermopile-based pyrheliometers to simultaneously measure clear-sky direct normal solar irradiance during this period, and this report documents the findings.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; NREL Metrology Laboratory; Office of Science-DOE-ARM Program
OSTI Identifier:
1160195
Report Number(s):
NREL/TP-3B10-63050
DOE Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; ABSOLUTE CAVITY RADIOMETER; PYRHELIOMETER COMPARISON; NREL; WRR; IS; TRACEABILITY

Citation Formats

Reda, I., Dooraghi, M., and Habte, A. NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: September 22-26, 2014 (NPC-2014). United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.2172/1160195.
Reda, I., Dooraghi, M., & Habte, A. NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: September 22-26, 2014 (NPC-2014). United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1160195
Reda, I., Dooraghi, M., and Habte, A. 2014. "NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: September 22-26, 2014 (NPC-2014)". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1160195. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1160195.
@article{osti_1160195,
title = {NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: September 22-26, 2014 (NPC-2014)},
author = {Reda, I. and Dooraghi, M. and Habte, A.},
abstractNote = {Accurate measurements of direct normal (beam) solar irradiance from pyrheliometers are important for developing and deploying solar energy conversion systems, improving our understanding of the Earth's energy budget for climate change studies, and for other science and technology applications involving solar flux. Providing these measurements places many demands on the quality system used by the operator of commercially available radiometers. Maintaining accurate radiometer calibrations that are traceable to an international standard is the first step in producing research-quality solar irradiance measurements. As with all measurement systems, absolute cavity radiometers and other types of pyrheliometers are subject to performance changes over time. NREL has developed and maintained a select group of absolute cavity radiometers with direct calibration traceability to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR), and uses these reference instruments to calibrate pyrheliometers and pyranometers using the ISO 17025 accredited Broadband Outdoor Radiometer Calibration (BORCAL) process. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pyrheliometer comparisons (NPCs) are held annually at the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) in Golden, Colorado. Open to all pyrheliometer owners and operators, each NPC provides an opportunity to determine the unique WRR transfer factor (WRR-TF) for each participating pyrheliometer. By adjusting all subsequent pyrheliometer measurements by the appropriate WRR-TF, the solar irradiance data are traceable to the WRR. NPC-2014 was held September 22-26, 2014. Participants operated 36 absolute cavity radiometers and 22 conventional thermopile-based pyrheliometers to simultaneously measure clear-sky direct normal solar irradiance during this period, and this report documents the findings.},
doi = {10.2172/1160195},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1160195}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}