Sunshine Pyranometer for PV Applications

Photovoltaic developers and triallists find the SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer from Delta-T Devices (UK), a valuable tool for research and for performance validation. When making PV investments, it is essential to identify the best sites. An SPN1 can be used to quantify the available global and diffuse radiation at potential sites.

The key advantage of the Sunshine Pyranometer type SPN1 is that it measures global (total) and diffuse radiation, and sunshine state – all in one instrument; it is easy to use and needs no routine adjustment or polar alignment. The SPN1 is a meteorological class instrument designed for long-term outdoor exposure, and is an affordable alternative to traditional shade-ring pyranometers and other sunshine recorders. It also provides some of the functionality of expensive pyrheliometers; working at any latitude with no moving parts, no shade rings, no motorised tracking needed

The unique design of the Sunshine Pyranometer uses a patented array of thermopile sensors and a computer-generated shading pattern to measure the direct and diffuse components of incident solar radiation, being protected by patents EP 1012633 & US 6417500.

The Sunshine Pyranometer provides 2 voltage outputs for global and diffuse energy, and a digital output of sunshine state for data logging. The internal heater keeps the Sunshine Pyranometer clear of dew, ice and snow down to –20°C, ensuring reliable readings in difficult climatic conditions. In summary, the Sunshine Pyranometer is a high performance instrument offering a unique combination of solar radiation measurements in a single, low maintenance device, making it ideal for PV applications.