Group 8 Feb 12.

2019

Assignment 1: Solar Radiation Report

Names Contribu5on

Jaclyn Truong Calculations

Angelica Demesa Instrument Build, Measuring Angles

Shant Charoian Calculations

Matthew Danna Document

Introduction

The purpose of this exercise is to explore the relationship between the Sun angle and
its association with solar radiation. In this exercise, a tool was created that would cap-
ture the angle at which the sun strikes a specific location, at a specific latitude and longi-
tude. Measurements were taken at the same spot on a sunny day, and the sun angle
was recorded at four different times. A theoretical sun angle was calculated using the
latitude, longitude, solar declination, and time measurements were taken. The data
measured and calculated were used to determine how accurate or inaccurate the field
observations were in this exercise.

Methodology

The instrument consists of a cork board, straw,

tape, a pin, string, a pin, a protractor, and a
counterweight. The instrument can be used to
measure the sun angle by aligning the straw so
that the sun shines through, producing a bright
circle on the tape behind. The pin, mounted to
the top of the straw points to the correct angle
on the protractor when the sun is shining
through it and the counter weight is hanging at
the 90 degree mark. This assures that the an-
gle is taken perpendicular to the ground.
Group 8 Feb 12. 2019

a. cos Z = sin θ sin δ + cos θ cos δ cos h

-1
b. Z = cos (cos Z)
c. 𝛼 = 90° – Z

A: This equation is used to calculate the cosine of solar zenith (Z) using the solar dec-
lination (δ, the latitude of the subsolar point where the sun is at 90 degrees overhead on
a particular day), the latitude of the location (θ), and the hour angle (h, h is zero at local
noon, and increases by 15° every hour before or after noon).

B: After using equation A to calculate the cosine of the solar Zenith, this inversion is
used to find the Zenith.

C: This equation is used to find the Sun angle (𝛼) using the Zenith (Z).

Results and Analysis

Table 1: Field Measurement Data

Latitude: 33.961217° Longitude: -117.694105° (Chino Hills)

Solar Al5tude (!α)

Daylight Saving Standard Time Local Time Solar Zenith Atmospheric Condi5on
Time (DLST) (ST) (LT) (Z) (Clear, humid, etc.)
(Sun Angle)

1 N/A 11:00 11:08 37° 53° Few clouds, sunny

2 N/A 13:00 13:08 41° 49° Few clouds, sunny
3 N/A 15:00 15:08 25° 65° Few clouds, sunny
4 N/A 16:20 16:28 10° 80° Few clouds, sun set-
5ng
Group 8 Feb 12. 2019

Table 2: Sun Angle Calculation Results

La5tude Date (from Solar Declina5on Local Time (from Hour Angle Calculated So- Calculated Sun
Angle (!α)
(θ) table 1) (δ) Table1) (h) lar Zenith (Z)

1 34° 02/16/19 -12.62° 11:08 17° 49° 41°

2 34° 02/16/19 -12.62° 13:08 17° 49° 41°

3 34° 02/16/19 -12.62° 15:08 47° 65° 25°

4 34° 02/16/19 -12.62° 16:28 67° 79° 11°

Comparing Field Measurement with Calculated Results

Table 3: Percent Difference

Calculated Z (°) (from Measured Z (°) (from table Differences (°) Difference %
table2) 1)
1 49° 53° 4° 8.2%
2 49° 49° 0° 0%
3 65° 65° 0° 0%
4 79° 80° 1° 1.3%

The calculated and field measurements for the sun angle did not yield a great percent-
age error or difference. Most of the results yielded an error percent between zero and
two, however the first field measurement indicated an eight percent difference from the
calculated theoretical sun angle. The eight percent difference indicates an error oc-
curred when the measuring was taken in the field. The calculations for the eleventh and
thirteenth hour should be identical, due to the fact that the sun moves fifteen degrees
every hour from the twelfth hour where it is at zero. At the eleventh hour on February
16, 2019, the sun was rising and continued to rise until sometime after the twelfth hour.
It should be noted that a storm had previously passed the night before measurements
were taken and there was still many clouds in the sky. Due to this fact, the relative hu-
midity at the eleventh hour would be exceptionally higher than a normal sunny day. Per-
haps with increased water molecules in the atmosphere there was increased scattering
of the solar radiation, resulting in a skewed measurement of the sun’s angle.
Group 8 Feb 12. 2019

Correlating Weather Station Radiation Data with Sun Angle Data

Table 4: Solar Radiation

Date: 02/16/19 Weather Sta5on Name: Chino – San Bernardino – Sta5on 255

Hour Solar Radia5on (Wm-2)

1 1100 693
2 1200 795
3 1300 767
4 1500 600
5 1600 414

*The sub solar point is never exactly 90 degrees over Southern California, so it is the
sub solar point for the Southern Hemisphere,

From the data we can see that the radiation increases during the day closer to noon.
The radiation rises and reaches a peak at noon, then dropping off while the day ends.
The sun also rises and reaches its peak near noon before setting as the day ends. This
can be shown in the sun angle measurements we observed in Table 1. At noon the sun
is close to its sub-solar point where the sun is at 90 degrees overhead. This is the high-
est angle the sun can be to the earths surface. The sun always emits a constant amount
of radiation however the sun angle determines how much area that radiation is spread
over. At 90 degrees the the radiation is concentrated over a smaller area, resulting in an
increase in solar measured solar radiation. At the lower sun angles the radiation is
spread over a larger area, resulting in a decrease of the measured radiation. A big factor
that can affect this correlation is the weather on the days in question. When we recored
the sun angle a storm had just passed and there were many clouds still in the sky.
These also clouds could have reflected some of the radiation back to space and/or ab-
sorbed almost all of the long-wave radiation. This could have affected the correlation
greatly.
Group 8 Feb 12. 2019

Conclusion

This Assignment was very helpful to our understanding of Sun angle and its association
with solar radiation. As we outlined above the amount of radiation from the sun is con-
stant but the measured radiation varies based on how much area it is spread across. As
the sun angle decreases the radiation is spread over a larger area, resulting in a de-
crease of the measured radiation. This explains temperature differences throughout the
day at a particular place, as the radiation rises so does the temperature. Using other
sources, besides our own observations was helpful in understanding solar radiation as
well. It helped us understand other factors that effect solar radiation like the weather on
the days in question.

This exercise also helped us understand scientific reasoning and analysis. The data set
for this assignment was very small, and had some error that could have skewed our re-
sults if we didn't use other sources. In the real world there would be much more data
taken over a larger amount of time and it would be repeated many times. This assign-
ment was also good practice working with a team, discussing results and using group
sourcing knowledge.

References
https:www.starpath.comblog_filesTable%20of%20the%20Declination%20of%20the%20
Sun.pdf
https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/azel.html

CIMIS Hourly Report

John Wiley and Sons, INC