Applications

Solar Energy

Rising prices of carbon-based energy sources and the drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have triggered the rapid development of renewable energy sources, with exponential growth in solar energy markets. Good quality solar radiation data is becoming increasingly important with, errors of a few percent can significantly impact upon the return on investment.

Kipp & Zonen provides solar radiation measuring instruments for activities such as research and development, production quality control, determination of optimum locations, monitoring the efficiency of installed systems and predicting the system output under various sky conditions. We offer the widest range of products; from reliable entry-level sensors to the highest accuracy available.

Below some examples of our instruments applied in renewable energy.

Download our guide on how to measure solar radiation in solar energy applications.

	Challenges in analysing solar radiation by a Ph.D. student Dr. Levent YALÇIN of the Turkish State Meteorological Service “It was 2006 when my supervisor and I decided to study solar energy in Ankara, Turkey. Because my professions were meteorology in my work and studying agriculture in my university, I decided to concentrate on determining the solar energy potential of a field in a region which contains agricultural farms located far from urban areas.

	How to measure Photovoltaic Performance by Albarubens s.r.l. Testing the performance of a PV panel is important in the decision making of plant building and purchase. Test laboratory Albarubens chooses the best possible test conditions by setting up their tests in natural sun light rather than in artificial light. The Kipp & Zonen CMP 11 Pyranometer helps to accurately measure the solar radiation for precise indication of the panel’s performance.

	Pyranometer in Solar Training System The demand for specialists in the field of solar energy is growing rapidly. Dedicated education for engineers and technicians is a response to this requirement. Precicon D&C of Singapore has therefore developed a unique Solar Training System, that includes a CMP 3 pyranometer.

	The Earth is our Friend Kyocera educates children about solar energy To help our children learn about producing electricity from sunlight, global electronics company Kyocera of Japan has published a nice booklet. The Earth is our Friend explains what a solar cell is and how solar panels are made and why we should use solar energy to reduce our environmental impact. Kipp & Zonen applauds this initiative and we hope that you will find it a helpful and entertaining document to learn more about solar energy.

	Solys 2 Sun Tracker in the Pyrenees to analyse solar energy efficiency The project PEGASE, located at the Themis solar test site near Targasonne in the Eastern Pyrenees, combines solar energy and gas-turbines to generate electricity. A SOLYS 2 sun tracker has been installed to analyse the site and the efficiency of the complete solar energy system.

	Sun Shines on JMSB building of the Concordia University, Canada The new John Molson School of Business (JMSB) of Concordia University in downtown Montréal, Quebec, Canada, will be the first building of it’s kind to have a Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) installation to generate both heat and electricity from the sun. It will be partly heated and powered by the sun.

	Improving Photovoltaic Efficiency by monitoring solar radiation Efficiency is an important factor in the research and development of Photovoltaic (PV) systems. But it does not solely depend on the quality of the system. Location, angle and maintenance also have an impact on the end result.

	World Solar Challenge 2008 a step ahead of technology The bi-annual World Solar Challenge is a prestigious race across Australia from North to South for vehicles fuelled exclusively by solar energy. The race lays the foundations for future developments in the field of renewable energy.

	PV performance on La Réunion On the French island of La Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, we find an interesting application within the project ‘Performance PV France’. Kipp & Zonen pyranometers measure the solar radiation received by photo-voltaic cells on fifteen different planes, which represent a semi-hemisphere.

	Solar Farms PV arrays in Spain Spain is one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to collecting solar energy. ‘Solar Farms’ are becoming a common sight, with hundreds of acres covered by PV arrays. The efficiency of these must be monitored. Our CMP series pyranometers fulfill the requirements of the IEC 60904 standard for PV testing. They are widely used for measuring and comparing all types of PV systems.