SOLAR ENERGY

DATA HANDBOOK
 SOLAR RADIATION
360
Declination (given by Cooper) = 23.45 [ (284 + )]
365

Where n is the day of the year

Hour Angle = [Solar time 12] * 15o

Angle of Incidence cos = ( +

) + (
) +

Vertical Surface = 900:

cos = +

Horizontal Surface = 00: in this case = z

cos = +

Where ,
, ,

Inclined surface facing due south = 00:

cos = sin( ) + cos( )

Vertical Surface facing due south = 900, = 00;

cos =

Inclined surface facing due north = 1800 :

cos = sin( + ) + cos( + )

Angle of Incidence cos = z cos + z sin cos(s )

Where s solar azimuth angle, z zenith angle

Altitude Angle sin = cos cos coss + sin sin

In general, = 2 -

Solar Azimuth Angle coss = (cosz sin )/z cos

Hour Angle s = cos-1 (-tan )

2
Day Length (in hours) Smax = s ; s in degrees
15

Hour Angloe For Inclined |st| = min [|cos-1 (-tan )|,| cos-1{-tan(
) }|]

Hour Angle For Inclined |st| = min [|cos-1 (-tan )|,| cos-1{-tan( +
Surface Facing North ) }|]

Local Apparent Time Local apparent time= Standard time 4(Standard time

longitude longitude of location) + (Equation of time

correction)

Equation of time correction in min E= 229.18(0.000075 + 0.001868 cosB 0.032077 sinB

- - 0.014615 cos2B 0.04089 sin2B ; B=(n-1)360/365
Monthly average daily global radiation
Hg
Angstrom Relation = a+b (max )
Hc

Where,

g = monthly avg of daily global radiation on

a horizontal surface at a location(KJ/m2 -day)

c = monthly avg of daily global radiation on

a horizontal surface at the same location on a clear

day(KJ/ m2 -day)

= monthly avg of sunshine hours per day at the

location (hours)

max = monthly avg of the max possible sunshine

hours per day at a location (hours)

a, b = constants obtained by fitting data

Hg
Page Relation = a+b (max )
Ho

Ho = monthly avg of daily extra-terrestrial radiation

on a horizontal surface at a location(KJ/m2 -day)

24 360
Daily Extra-terrestrial radiation Ho = *3600*Isc(1+0.033 cos 365 )(s sin +
s)

Isc = 1.36 KW/m2

Ho = Ho on Jan 17, Feb 16, Mar 16, April 15, May 15, June 11, July 17, Aug 16, Sept 15,

Oct 15, Nov 14, Dec 10

 Location
Range of max a b
Albuquerque, New Mexico ,USA 0.65-0.85 0.41 0.37
Atlanta, Georgia, USA 0.45-0.71 0.38 0.26
Blue Hill, Mass., USA 0.42-0.60 0.22 0.50
Brownsville, Texas, USA 0.47-0.80 0.35 0.31
Buenos Aires, Argentina 0.47-0.68 0.26 0.50
Charleston, S.C., USA 0.60-0.75 0.48 0.09
Dairen, Manchuria 0.55-0.81 0.36 0.23
El Paso, Texas, USA 0.78-0.88 0.54 0.20
Ely, Nevada, USA 0.61-0.89 0.54 0.18
Hamburg, Germany 0.11-0.49 0.22 0.57
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 0.57-0.77 0.14 0.73
Madison, Wisconsin, USA 0.40-0.72 0.30 0.34
Malange, Angola 0.41-0.84 0.34 0.34
Miami, Florida, USA 0.56-0.71 0.42 0.22
Nice, France 0.49-0.76 0.17 0.63
Pune, India 0.25-0.49 0.30 0.51
0.65-0.89 0.41 0.34
Stanleyville, Congo 0.34-0.56 0.28 0.39
Tamanrasset, Algeria 0.76-0.88 0.30 0.43

Constants a and b for Indian Cities

Locations a b Mean error (percent)

Ahmedabad 0.28 0.48 3.0
Bangalore 0.18 0.64 3.9
Bhavnagar 0.28 0.47 2.8
Kolkata 0.28 0.42 1.3
Goa 0.30 0.48 2.1
Jodhpur 0.33 0.46 2.0
Kodaikanal 0.32 0.55 2.9
Chennai 0.30 0.44 3.5
Mangalore 0.27 0.43 4.2
Minicoy 0.26 0.39 1.4
Nagpur 0.27 0.50 1.6
New Delhi 0.25 0.57 3.0
Pune 0.31 0.43 1.9
Shillong 0.22 0.57 3.0
Srinagar 0.35 0.40 4.7
Thiruvananthapuram 0.37 0.39 2.5
Vishakhapatnam 0.28 0.47 1.2
 Hg
Gopinathans Correlation = a1+b1 ( )
Ho max

Where,

a1 = - 0.309+0.539 cos-0.0693 EL+0.290( )
max

b1 = 1.527-1.027 cos+0.0926 EL -0.359(max )

- latitude in degrees

EL - elevation of location above mean sea level

In kilometres

Monthly Average Daily Diffuse Radiation

Hd Hg Hg 2 Hg 3
Liu and Jordan Relation = 1.390-4.027 +5.531[ ] -3.108[ ]
Hg Ho Ho Ho

Hd = monthly avg of daily diffuse radiation on a

horizontal surface

Hd
Gopinathan and Soler a Relation = 0.87813-0.33280 T 0.53039(max )
Hg

Hg
T = called as monthly avg clearness ratio
Ho

Hd Hg
Modi and Sukhatme relation (Indian location) = 1.411 1.696
Hg Ho

Hd
Garg and Garg relation (Indian location) = 0.8677 0.7365 ( max )
Hg

Monthly Average Hourly Global Radiation

Ig Io
Collares-Pereira and Rabl Relation = ( a+b )
Hg Ho

Where,

a = 0.409+0.5016 sin(s 600 )

b = 0.6609-0.4767 sin(s 600 )

Io = Io

Io = 3600 Isc
 Ig Io
Gueymard Relation = ( a+b cos)/c
Hg Ho

( s /180) s s
c = a+0.5b [ s ( s /180)coss
]

Monthly Average Hourly Diffuse Radiation

Id Io
Liu and Jordan Relation =
Hd Ho

Id Io
Satyamurty and Lahiri Relation = (a + b )
Hd Ho

a =0.4922 +{0.27/(Hd /H g )} for 0.1 (Hd /H g ) 0.7

a =0.76 +{0.113/(Hd /H g )} for 0.7 < (Hd /H g ) 0.9

b =2(1-a)( s -s s )/( s 0.5 2s )

Hourly Radiation under Cloudless Skies

Global Radiation Ig =Ib + Id

Ig = hourly global radiation

Ib = hourly beam radiation

Id = hourly diffuse radiation

Beam Radiation Ib = Ibn z

Where,

Ibn = beam radiation in the direction of the rays

z = zenith angle

Ibn is given by relation Ibn = A exp(-B/ z )

Id is given by relation Id = C Ibn

Constants A, B and C for predicting hourly solar radiation on clear days

A(W/m2)) B C
January 21 1202 0.141 0.103
February 21 1187 0.142 0.104
March 21 1164 0.149 0.109
April 21 1130 0.164 0.120
May 21 1106 0.177 0.130
June 21 1092 0.185 0.137
July 21 1093 0.186 0.138
August 21 1107 0.182 0.134
September 21 1136 0.165 0.121
October 21 1136 0.152 0.111
November 21 1190 0.144 0.106
December 21 1204 0.141 0.103

Solar Radiation on Tilted Surface

sin sin()+ cos()

Tilt Factor for Beam Radiation rb =
+

Tilt Factor for Diffuse Radiation rd = (1+)/2

Tilt Factor for Reflected Radiation rr =(1 )/2

Where,

- Reflectivity

Flux on Tilted Surface IT = Ibrb + Idrd + (Ib + Id)rr

Lin-Jordan Co-relation HT/Hg = (1 - HT/Hg) Rb + (HT/Hg ) Rd + Rr

 LIQUID FLATE PLATE COLLECTOR

Transmissivity Absorption Product T = S/ IT

IT = Ibrb + Idrd + (Ib + Id)rr

Flux absorbed in the absorber plate (S) = () + { + ( + ) }()

= Transmissivity of the cover glass

= Absorptivity of the absorber plate

() =Transimssivity and absorptivity

product of beam radiation falling on the collector

() =Transimssivity and absorptivity product

diffuse radiation falling on the collector

Instantaneous collection efficiency ( ) = =

=useful heat gain

=collector gross area

Transmissivity of the cover system () =

= Transmissivity obtained by

considering only reflection and refraction

= Transmissivity obtained by

considering only absorption

sin 1 2
Transmissivity based on Reflection-Refraction =
sin 2 1

1 = Angle of incidence

2 = Angle of refraction

1 , 2 = Refractive indices of the two media

 sin 2( )
Reflectivities of components of polarization 1 = sin 2(2 +1 )
2 1

tan2 (2 1 )
2 =
tan2 (2 +1 )

2
For normal incidence (1 = 0 ) = = = (1 +2 )
1 2

1
Transmissivity ( ) = 2 ( + )

1
= 1+(21)

1
= 1+(21)

= Number of covers

Transmissivity based on absorption ( ) = =

= Thickness of transparent cover

Heat Lost from Collector in terms = ( )

of Overall loss coefficient ( ) = Overall loss coefficient

= Area of the absorber plate

= Average temperature of the

absorber plate

= Temperature of the surrounding air

(assumed to be same on all the side of the collector)

 4 4 )
(
1
Heat Lost from Collector in terms = 1 ( 1 ) + 1 1
( + 1)

4 4
(1 2 )
of Top loss coefficient ( ) = 12 (1 2 ) + 1 1
( + 1)

4 4

= (2 ) + (2 )

= Top loss coefficient

1 = Convective heat transfer

coefficient between the absorber plate

and the first cover

12 = Convective heat transfer

coefficient between the first and the

second covers

= Convective heat transfer

coefficient between the topmost cover

(in this case the second) and the

surrounding air

1 , 2 =Temperatures attained by

the two covers

=Effective temperature of the sky

with which the radiative exchange takes place

= Emissivity of the absorber plate

for long wavelength radiation

= Emissivity of the covers for long

wavelength radiation

Heat transfer coefficient between = 1; cos < 1708

1708
inclined parallel surface = 1 + 1.446 (1 ) ; 1708 < cos < 5900

= 0.229( )0.252 ;5900 < cos < 9.23 104

= 0.157( )0.285 ; 9.23 104 < cos < 106

= Nusselt number = Rayleigh number
Heat transfer coefficient at the top cover ( ) = 5.7 + 3.8

= Wind speed

Dimensionless correlation = 0.86( )1/2

suggested by Sparrow and Tien = Factor given by ( / )Pr 2/3

=Reynolds number ( /)based

on the characteristics dimension = 4 /

=Collector gross area, and

=Circumference associated with the

collector gross area.

Based on Sparrow and Tien s data = 8.55 + 2.56

Sky temperature ( ) = 6

Bottom loss coefficient ( ) =

= Thermal conductivity of the insulation

= Thickness of the insulation

( )
Side loss coefficient ( ) = 23 (1 + 2 ) 2

(1 +2 )3
= 1 2

1 , 2 = Dimensions of absorber plate

3 = Height of collector casing

 1
2 + 2 )(
(
1 + )
Empirical Equation for Top Loss Coefficient = [ 0.33
+ ] +[ 1 2+1 ]
+
( )( ) +0.05(1 )
+

2 )(1
Where = (1 0.04 + 0.0005 + 0.091)

= 365.9(1 0.00883 + 0.00012982 )

=Number of glass covers
1
2 + 2 )(
(
1 + )
= [ 0.252 + ] +[ 1 2+1 ]
+
( )( ) +0.0425(1 )
+

9 30
Where = ( 2 ) (316.9 ) (1 + 0.091)

= 204.429(cos )0.252 /0.24 , and

= Spacing (m)

1
Collector Efficiency Factor ( ) =
1 1
[ [( )+ ]+ + ]

, = outside and inside diameters of tube

= heat transfer coefficient on inside surface

of tube

= thermal conductivity of adhesive material

= average thickness of adhesive

W = pitch of the tubes

tan[( )/2]
= plate effectiveness = [( )/2]

Collector Heat-Removal Factor ( ) = [1 {
}]

= L1 * L2

L1 = absorber plate length

L2 = absorber plate width

 CONCENTRATING COLLECTOR
( )
Performance Analysis =
=
=

= ( ) [
( )]

Heat Removal Factor ( ) = [1 {
}]

Instantaneous Collection Efficiency ( ) = (
+ )

Instantaneous Efficiency based on beam ( ) =

Heat Transfer Coefficient between = 0.317( )1/4

ln( / ) 1/4
the Absorber Tube and the Cover ( )1/4 = 5/4
1 1
3/4 ( 3 + 3 )
5 5

2
( ) = ( )
ln( )

2
=
ln( / )

Heat Transfer Coefficient on the = 1

5 4/5
1/2 1/3
0.62 8
Outside Surface of the Cover = 0.3 + 1/4 [1 + (282000) ]
[1+(0.4/ )2/3 ]

Heat Transfer Coefficient on the = 3.66

Inside Surface of the Absorber Tube = 0.023 0.8 0.4

= 5.172[1 + 0.005484 { ( /)1.78 }0.7 ]0.5

= 38.4 ( /)0.05 6.7 ( /) 100

= 2 ( /)0.3 ( /) 100