SPN1 Delta Sunshine Pyranometer

Details

The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer is a meteorological class solar radiation measurement instrument with a built-in heater, and is designed for long-term outdoor exposure. It is an affordable and effective alternative to shade-ring pyranometers, pyrheliometers and traditional sunshine recorders. The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer is exceptionally easy to use; it needs no routine adjustment or polar alignment and works at any latitude.

The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer is protected by patents EP 1012633 and US 6417500.

An internal heater keeps the pyranometer dome clear of dew, ice and snow down to -20°C (in still air conditions), ensuring reliable readings in difficult climatic conditions.

 

Direct and Diffuse Radiation The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer uses an array of seven miniature thermopile sensors and a computer-generated shading pattern to measure the direct and diffuse components of incident solar radiation. The SPN1 Pyranometer computes direct radiation by subtracting the diffuse from the global (total) radiation.

 

 

Sunshine Duration The WMO threshold for bright sunshine is 120 W.m-2 in a plane perpendicular to the direct solar beam. The SPN1 Pyranometer uses an algorithm based on the ratio of direct to diffuse radiation, combined with their absolute values, to estimate sunshine duration to within a few percent of the WMO standard. The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer does not need to be adjusted or repositioned to track the sun - a distinct advantage over devices with shadow rings. There are no complex electro-mechanical assemblies and no burnt paper tracks to interpret.

 

 

Outputs and Logging The SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometer provides 2 analogue voltage outputs for global and diffuse radiation, and a digital output for sunshine duration, which can be connected to data loggers, such as the Delta-T Devices DL2e and the compact GP1. Readings can also be obtained directly from the RS232 port and viewed/logged using the SunData software supplied.