SMP10, Smarter Measurement with Low Maintenance
Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Kipp & Zonen has combined the best of both worlds in a new pyranometer. The SMP10 has all the advantages of the Smart interface and there is no need to regularly inspect a drying cartridge or change desiccant. The design of the SMP10 enables the internal drying agent to last for at least 10 years.
The SMP10 was launched at Meteorological Technology World Expo in Brussels last month.
An interview with our Product Manager was recorded at this expo:
The Smart interface provides the advantages of an industry standard RS-485 Modbus® connection and digital signal processing for enhanced performance. Digital to analogue conversion is incorporated. The specifications can be found on the SMP10 product page.
The serial data output presents the measured irradiance directly in Watts per square meter (W/m2), and includes pyranometer temperature, power supply voltage, instrument type and serial number. The calibration history can also be accessed.
The standardized analogue outputs make the exchange of pyranometers much easier, for example after calibration, because they all have the same scaling from voltage or current to irradiance. There is no need to perform any readjustments to data loggers or software. This saves time and prevents mistakes.
In Solar Energy, especially for remotely located solar monitoring stations, low maintenance is a major advantage. Combining SMP10 with the new CVF4 ventilation unit provides a low maintenance and high accuracy measurement solution. The swirling airflow greatly reduces soiling of the dome of a pyranometer and keeps it free from dew and precipitation. Using the built-in heater can remove frost and snow. CVF4 extends the cleaning intervals, and improves the data quality from the pyranometer.
SMP10 is supplied with the all-new Smart Sensor Explorer software for comprehensive configuration and communication using a computer with an RS-485 to USB converter or a TCP/IP interface and also provides data logging to a computer.
SMP10 is the next logical step in further improving the accuracy and lowering maintenance of the most widely used pyranometers in the world.