EG503V/EG503W - Solar Energy

Energy Calculation

Dr. Ali Jamshidi Far

School of Engineering
University of Aberdeen 1
 Content
▪ Solar spectrum
▪ Sun-earth geometric relationship
▪ Air mass ratio
▪ Solar altitude and azimuth
▪ Direct beam radiation
▪ Diffuse radiation
▪ Sun tracking

2
 Solar Spectrum
▪ Each object emits radiant energy that is a function of
its temperature, based on Planck’s law, where T is
temperature (K) and λ is the wavelength (μm)

▪ The radiation of sun’s surface has

a spectral distribution that closely
matches that a temperature of
5800 K
▪ Based on the wavelength, the
solar spectrum contains
ultraviolet UV (7%), visible (47%),
and infrared IR (46%) portions actual solar spectrum

3
 Sun-Earth geometric relationships
▪ The amount of solar radiation received at any location on earth depends on the
time (of day and year), the local latitude, the orientation of the sum, and the
weather conditions.
▪ Earth has two motions that affect the solar radiation:
o The rotation of the earth around its polar axis, which defines a day
o The rotation of the earth around the sun, which defines a year

4
 Air mass ratio & Altitude angle
▪ The air mass ratio m is a measure of the amount of atmosphere the sun’s rays
must pass through to reach the earth’s surface
▪ Air mass ratio m is calculated as the length of the actual beam path h2 divided by
the minimum possible path length h1 (when sun is directly overhead)
▪ m=1 means direct sun overhead (as h1=h2), and m=0 is for outside of the earth’s
atmosphere, as the light does not pass through atmosphere.

β is the altitude
angle of the sun
describing how
high the sun
ℎ1
appears in the sky

5
 Earth's orbit
▪ The earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, making one revolution
every 365.25 days

▪The sun-earth distance can be calculated

using:
where n is the day number in a year, with Day numbers for the first day of each month
January 1 as day 1 and December 31 as day
365
▪A convenient list of day numbers for the
first day of each month is : 6
 Solar declination 𝜹
▪ The solar declination 𝜹 is the angle formed between the equator plane and the
incoming sunlight, and it changes with the day number 𝑛 in an approximated
sinusoidal manner:

7
 Calculation of altitude angle at solar noon
▪ At solar noon of a given geographical location, the sun is at its highest position

▪ The altitude angle of the sun at solar noon is 𝛽𝑁 , and its relationship with the
latitude angel L and solar declination 𝛿 is therefore:
𝛽𝑁 = 90° − 𝐿 − 𝛿 = 90° − 𝐿 + 𝛿

▪ At solar noon, the sun is at south side in northern hemisphere. (it is at north side
in southern hemisphere).
▪ L is positive for north hemisphere, and negative for south hemisphere.
▪ If 90° − 𝐿 + 𝛿 > 90°, we use: 𝛽𝑁 = 180° − (90° − 𝐿 + 𝛿) 8
 Calculation of altitude angle at solar noon
▪ Example: Find the altitude angle in Tucson (latitude 32.1o) at solar noon on
March 1. Then find the optimum tilt angle of a south facing PV module.

▪ Solution: March 1 is the 60th day of the year, so the solar declination is:

L is 32.1o, the altitude angel of the sun at noon is obtained as:

The tilt angle that would make the sun rays

perpendicular to the PV module would
therefore be:

9
 Solar position at any time
▪ The position of sun at any time can be described by the altitude angle β (βN at
noon) and the azimuth angle Фs (in the horizontal plane).

Фs=180˚
Фs=90˚
Day time sun path:
Northern hemisphere: east to
south (noon) to west;
Southern hemisphere: east to
north (noon) to west.

After sunrise, β varies from 0˚ to βN (≤90˚) at noon, and

N
decrease to 0˚ at sunset Фs=270˚

10
 Solar position at any time
▪ Here, we have to introduce the hour angle 𝑯
that changes linearly with time as below:
360°
𝐻= × 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 − 12
24
▪ For example, at 12pm, 𝐻 = 0° (sun is directly
overhead at solar noon, sun light is in the
plane of local longitude circle). At 9 am, H is
-45o (local longitude is 45˚ west of the
longitude with sun directly overhead), and at
8 pm (20) H is 120o (sunlight is in the
longitude plane 120˚ west of local longitude)
▪ The altitude angle 𝛽 (at any time) can be obtained as:
sin 𝛽 = cos 𝐿 cos 𝛿 cos(𝐻) + sin 𝐿 sin 𝛿

▪ Note for H=0, the above equation gives the same equation for solar noon:
sin 𝛽𝑁 = cos 𝐿 cos 𝛿 + sin 𝐿 sin 𝛿 = cos 𝐿 − 𝛿 = sin 90 − (𝐿 − 𝛿) ⇒ 𝛽𝑁 = 90° − 𝐿11+ 𝛿
 Solar position at any time
▪ The azimuth angle 𝜙𝑠 can be obtained as:

sin 𝛿 cos(𝐿) − cos(𝐻) cos(𝛿) sin 𝐿

cos 𝜙𝑠 =
cos 𝛽

If 𝐻 ≤ 0 (during local solar morning), 𝜙𝑠 ∈ [0°, 180°], so 𝜙𝑠 = cos −1 [cos(𝜙𝑠 )]

If 𝐻 ≥ 0 (during local solar afternoon), 𝜙𝑠 ∈ [180°, 360°], so 𝜙𝑠 = 360° −
cos −1 [cos(𝜙𝑠 )]

Фs=180˚
Фs=90˚

It can be verified from above

equation that for H=0 (solar noon),
the azimuth angle 𝜙𝑠 =180 is
obtained. Can you verify that?
12
Фs=270˚
 Solar position at any time sin 𝛿 cos(𝐿) − cos(𝐻) cos(𝛿) sin 𝐿
▪ Sun pass diagram for L=+35o cos 𝜙𝑠 =
cos 𝛽

EAST SOUTH WEST

30 80 130 180 230 280 330

\\\
13
 Solar position at any time
▪ Sun pass diagram may be directly based on different dates instead of declination
angle (for L=+40o)

Curves for
MAY 21 and
JUL 21
coincide as
they have
same
declination
60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 14
300
 Direct beam radiation
▪ Direct beam radiation is part of the solar radiation that travels on a straight line
from the sun down to the surface of the earth, without being diffused.

▪ The sum of the diffuse and

direct solar radiation is called global
solar radiation.
▪ Atmospheric conditions can
reduce direct beam radiation by 10%
on clear, dry days and by 100%
during thick, cloudy days.

▪ Direct beam irradiance can be calculated using IB=Ae-km, where:

1
, and 𝑚 =
sin 𝛽
15
 Direct beam radiation - example
▪ Example: Find the direct beam solar irradiance at solar noon on May 21
(a clear day) in Atlanta, US (latitude 33.7˚N).

▪ Solution: We need to calculate A, k, m in IB=Ae-km . May 21 has day number

𝑛 = 141, then A and m are:

▪ To calculate m, we need to obtain 𝛿 and then 𝛽𝑁 . The declination angle 𝛿 is:

16
 Direct beam radiation – example (cont.)
▪ Example (cont.): Find the direct beam solar irradiance at solar noon on May 21
(a clear day) in Atlanta, US (latitude 33.7˚N).

▪ Solution (cont.): the solar noon altitude angle 𝛽𝑁 is:

𝛽𝑁 = 90° − 𝐿 + 𝛿 = 90° − 33.7° + 20.1° = 76.4°

▪ Then, the air mass ratio m is:

1 1
𝑚= = = 1.029
sin 𝛽𝑁 sin 76.4°

▪ So, the direct beam irradiance is:

IB=Ae-km = 1104 x e—0.197x1.029 = 902 W/m2

17
 Direct radiation on a collecting surface
▪ The direct beam radiation will only be fully absorbed if the collecting surface
is in perpendicular with the incoming sunlight
▪ The angle of incidence 𝜽 is defined between the
incoming sunlight and a line in perpendicular to the
collector surface, so the radiation being collected is:
𝐼𝐵𝐶 = 𝐼𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ϴ

▪ The angle of incidence 𝜃 is calculated using:

cos 𝜃 = cos 𝛽 cos(𝜙𝑠 − 𝜙𝑐 ) sin Σ + sin 𝛽 cos Σ

Σ is the collector tilt angle from local horizontal plane

(𝜙𝑠 - 𝜙𝑐 ) is the deviation angle with respect to south
𝜙𝑠 is azimuth of the sun (relative to due north)
𝜙𝑐 is azimuth of the collector (relative to due north)

18
 Direct radiation on a collecting surface - example
▪ Example: For the Atlanta example at solar noon on May 21, the altitude
angle of the sun was found to be 76.4˚ and clear-sky direct beam irradiance
was found to be 902 W/m2. Now calculate the beam irradiance at that time
on a collector that is tipped up at a 52˚ angle and faces 20˚ from the due
south toward the east
▪ Solution:
cos 𝜃 = cos 𝛽 cos(𝜙𝑠 − 𝜙𝑐 ) sin Σ + sin 𝛽 cos Σ
= cos 76.4° cos(20°) sin 52° + sin 76.4° cos 52° = 0.7725

▪ Therefore, the beam irradiance on such collector can be obtained as:

𝐼𝐵𝐶 = 𝐼𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ϴ = 902 W/m2 * 0.7725 = 697 W/m2

19
 Diffuse radiation on a collecting surface
▪ In addition to direct radiation, there is diffuse radiation caused by the
atmosphere, which is difficult to be determined accurately due to the
complexity of diffusion
▪ An approximated model assumes that the diffuse component is proportional
to the direct beam radiation. For a flat collector with zero tilt angle Σ = 0 in
the local horizon, the diffuse irradiance is approximated by:

where

(𝐶 is the sky diffuse factor 5.5% ≤ 𝐶 ≤ 13.5%, 𝑛 is the day number)

▪ Considering a collecting surface with arbitrary tilt angle Σ, its diffuse

irradiance is calculated by:

▪ The smaller tilt angle, the higher diffuse component 20

 Diffuse radiation on a collecting surface - Example
▪ Example: For the Atlanta example, with n=141, the altitude angle of 76.4˚
and clear-sky direct beam irradiance of 902 W/m2, the collector tipped up at
a 52˚ angle and faces 20˚ from the due south toward the east, calculate its
diffuse radiation component.
▪ Solution: The sky diffuse factor is:

▪ With 52˚ tilt angle

▪ Recall that the direct beam irradiance absorbed by such collector is:
𝐼𝐵𝐶 = 𝐼𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ϴ = 902 W/m2 * 0.7725 = 697 W/m2
▪ Thus, the global irradiance (direct and diffuse) at the collecting surface is:
𝐼𝐵𝐶 + 𝐼𝐷𝐶 = 697 + 88 = 785 𝑊/𝑚2
21
 Reflected radiation on a collecting surface
▪ There is also some radiation that hits the ground and is then reflected into
the collector, called the reflected radiation
▪ Introducing the reflectance coefficient 𝜌 for a certain ground condition (e.g.
𝜌 = 0.8 for snow ground, and typical common value is 0.2 by default), the
reflected irradiance for 𝜮 = 𝟏𝟖𝟎 is approximated by

𝐼𝑅𝐻 = 𝜌 𝐼𝐵𝐻 + 𝐼𝐷𝐻 = 𝜌𝐼𝐵 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 + 𝐶

Note that 𝐼𝐵𝐻 = |𝐼𝐵𝐶 | with horizontal sun collector
cos 𝜃 = cos 𝛽 cos(𝜙𝑠 − 𝜙𝑐 ) sin(180) + sin 𝛽 cos(180)
⇒ 𝐼𝐵𝐻 = |𝐼𝐵 cos 𝜃 | = 𝐼𝐵 sin 𝛽 , also know that 𝐼𝐷𝐻 = 𝐶𝐼𝐵
▪ For tipped collector with tilt angle Σ

▪ The higher tilt angle, the higher reflected component as it sees more ground
22
 Reflected radiation on a collecting surface - Example
▪ Example: For the Atlanta example, with n=141, the altitude angle of 76.4˚ and
clear-sky direct beam irradiance of 902 W/m2, the collector tipped up at a 52˚
angle and faces 20˚ from the due south toward the east, the sky diffuse factor
C=0.121, calculate its ground reflected irradiance (assume 𝜌 = 0.2 ).

▪ Solution: By placing the above values in the reflected irradiance equation:

▪ Thus, the total solar irradiance on the collecting surface is:

𝐼𝐵𝐶 + 𝐼𝐷𝐶 + 𝐼𝑅𝐶 = 697 + 88 + 38 = 823 𝑊/𝑚2

(84.7% direct beam, 10.7% diffuse, 4.6% reflected – so reflected component can
usually be ignored)

23
 Sun tracking
▪ Sun tracking increases the solar energy generation by adjusting the collector
angle
▪ One-axis tracking: The 1-axis tracking system fixes its tilt angle to be local
latitude (or manually adjusted for seasons), and the collector azimuth angle
tracks the solar azimuth angle
▪ Two-axis tracking: The 2-axis tracking system varies both its tilt angle to follow
the zenith angle (complementary angle of altitude), and also align its collecting
surface azimuth angle to solar azimuth

𝐼𝐵𝐶 = 𝐼𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ϴ
24
 Sun tracking
▪ Two-axis tracking vs One-axis tracking vs fixed PV
▪ Figure below compares the monthly energy output of two-axis tracking, single
axis tracking and the collector with fixed angles
▪ It is seen that the benefit of two-axis systems over single axis (fixed tilt) is small,
but they both have much higher output than a fixed south-facing collector

▪ The best option

is selected based on
size, cost,
maintenance, etc.

25
 Sun tracking
▪ The fixed option can be improved by manually adjusting the tilt angle
▪ Figure below compares the monthly energy output of a fixed angle PV for 3
different tilt angle, with fixed azimuth 𝜙𝑐 = 180° (south facing)
▪ Over a year, the best tilt angle is around 40o (equal to the latitude). In general,
slightly lower than latitude would be the best.
▪ In summer, best tilt is lower than latitude to maximise energy generation
▪ In winter, best tilt is higher than the latitude

▪ A manually adjusted tilt angle

for months or seasons would
maximise the energy
generation

26
Thanks for your attention!

27