Total solar radiation
today · yesterday · last week · last month · last year
The total solar radiation (in German: Gesamtstrahlung) comprises the entire radiant power
of the sun which strikes a horizontally oriented surface. The total radiation includes
the areas UV radiation, visible light and infrared heat radiation. It is generally
measured with pyranometers. The pyranometer used here covers the wavelength
range from 305 nm to 2800 nm. The unit of global radiation is power per area, i.e. W/m².
On the X axis the time ME(S)Z means Central European (Summer) Time CE(S)T.
The figure shows, on the one hand, the measured values of the total radiation recorded
every minute (blue curve). Sunny sections during the day are colored yellow,
cloudy or covered sections light blue. In the figures "today", "yesterday"
and "last week", the measured values are given the theoretical daily course for
cloudless ("clear sky") conditions (gray curve course). In the representations
"last month" and "last year", the gray-shaded curve corresponds to the course
of the calculated daily maximum values (noon values) of the total radiation
for cloudless conditions.
The sensor used here is a broadband radiometer of the type CM11 of the company
Kipp & Zonen, Delft, NL.