PrintAt the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- identify the seven key properties of sunlight;
- differentiate between technical air mass for lab/field-testing and meteorological air masses;
- explain the concept of climate regimes;
- apply clear sky models (REST2 or Bird Clear Sky) to a location and compare the result to real measured data;
- identify the contributions that relate to the solar resource other than the sun (clouds and ground albedo);
- explain Taylor's hypothesis and how it relates to solar intermittency (moving clouds).
What is due for Lesson 3?
This lesson has two learning activities and will take us two weeks to complete. Please refer to the Course Calendar in Canvas for specific timeframes and due dates - those can vary from semester to semester. Specific directions for the assignments below can be found further within this lesson.
| Required Reading: |
J.R. Brownson, Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS), Chapter 3 - Laws of Light (review) C. A. Gueymard (2012) Clear-sky irradiance predictions for solar resource mapping and large-scale applications: Improved validation methodology and detailed performance analysis of 18 broadband radiative models Solar Energy 86, 2145-2169. |
|---|---|
| Optional Reading: | Bird and Hulstrom (1981): Simplified Clear Sky Model for Direct and Diffuse Insolation on Horizontal Surfaces, Technical Report No. SERI/TR-642-761, Golden, CO: Solar Energy Research Institute Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers, 2nd ed. by Roland B. Stull (Chapter 7). J.R. Brownson, Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS), Chapter 8 - Measure and Estimation of the Solar Resource |
| HOMEWORK: | Learning Activities
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| YELLOWDIG: |
Discussion Topic 1: Climate Regimes Discussion Topic 2: Atmospheric interactions - clouds, aerosols, molecules |
| QUIZ: | Quiz Assignment: Laws of Light and Climate Regimes (see Canvas) - due by the end of the first week |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please post them to the Lesson 3 General Questions thread in Yellowdig. I will check these forums regularly to respond. Feel free to go through the comments and post your own responses if you are able to help out a classmate.