Our world at Kipp & Zonen, newsletter 32
Published: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Newsletter 32 is out and available to download. Together with Kipp & Zonen users around the world, we have put together a great mix of insights, applications and news. This issue has 4 extra pages and shares the release of our new SOLYS Gear Drive sun tracker, a study on the energy balance in a forest ecosystem, an impressive example of our durable products in Cameroon, an article on 3D radiant fluxes with net radiometer, a story on the first solar thermal power plant in Canada and more.
With this newsletter we have picked the moment to officially release our new sun tracker: the SOLYS Gear Drive. After a first preview at Meteorological Technology World Expo last year, tests at our R&D facility and at Campbell Scientific Canada and a webinar with a select audience, we are proud to launch the SOLYS Gear Drive and confident that this is now THE most powerful sun tracker available for monitoring solar radiation. Read all about it on page 3.
One very special application in the Barbeau Forest in France caught our attention and after contacting CNRS they were more than happy to explain what it is they research with our sensors. On page 4 and 5 Daniel Berveiller describes the measurements made on a 35 meter high tower to study the energy balance of the forest’s ecosystem.
On a whole other subject, Stefan Karnebäck of Engineers without Borders, proudly writes about their project in Cameroon to disinfect water with solar ovens. With limited resources they have been able to set up an evaluation unit that registers solar irradiation, wind velocity and water and air temperature. The pyranometer used here is a 36 years old Kipp & Zonen CM 5 that after calibration is still in perfect condition.
The Mean Radiation Temperature(Tmrt) is an important factor that indicates the comfort of people. In the city of Hong Kong, with its high population, several measurement points have been set up with three CNR 4 net radiometers to measure 3-dimensional radiation fluxes. The university explains their method on page 8.
Our Brewer spectrophotometer is an instrument primarily used for the measurement of the Ozone layer, but it can also measure ultraviolet irradiance very accurately. For UVA, UVB and UVE irradiance the absolute sensitivity is critical and this must be regularly checked. On page 9 we introduce our new UV Stability Kit and Precision Power Supply accessory for the Brewer. This has been thoroughly validated and is much better than the previous Kit.
That solar irradiance is monitored at solar thermal power plants is not new, but the application of our SOLYS 2 sun tracker equipped with radiometers at the plant in Medicine Hat is something special. It is the first in Canada to operate a concentrating solar thermal power system at such a high latitude and cold weather location. Campbell Scientific Canada tells you more on page 10.
If you would like to read the full articles? Click here to download.