How much energy is available?
Question:
How do I calculate how much solar energy is availble falling on a collector at right angles to the sun at midday in the middle of winter in the UK? I’ve seen various worst case figures here for the US. Do they include average cloud cover. I guess the cloudy nature of the UK is going to be somewhat limiting?? Grid ref: TM150500 X: 615000m Y: 250000m Lat: 52:06:24N (52.1065) Lon: 1:08:17E (1.1382) Thanks Nick W.
Response:
Hmm, my brain hurts. I think what I should be asking is: How much energy is available in total if I use the system from (say) 1st October to 1st May each year. And what is the optimal angle for the collector at this latitude? I have worked out that 28 sec oil costs me about 3.4 pence per kwh to burn – so that is my opportunity cost of using a solar air heating system. Nick W.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > How do I calculate how much solar energy is availble falling on a > collector at right angles to the sun at midday in the middle of winter > in the UK? > I’ve seen various worst case figures here for the US. Do they include > average cloud cover. I guess the cloudy nature of the UK is going to be > somewhat limiting?? > Grid ref: TM150500 > X: 615000m > Y: 250000m > Lat: 52:06:24N (52.1065) > Lon: 1:08:17E (1.1382) > Thanks > Nick W.
I don’t know about the UK, but in Australia the government Bureau of Meteorology department maintain this page which shows the daily solar radiation map for all of Australia: http://www.bom.gov.au/sat/solrad.shtml There are also links to historical data which you can automatically cycle through. The UK Bureau must have something similar? Extra explanatory info is here: http://www.bom.gov.au/sat/solradinfo.shtml and lots of juicy technical info here: http://www.bom.gov.au/sat/glossary.shtml including how the "Pyranometers" are designed to measure the ground based radiation. Dave 
Response:
HI Nick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->How do I calculate how much solar energy is availble falling on a >collector at right angles to the sun at midday in the middle of winter >in the UK? >I’ve seen various worst case figures here for the US. Do they include >average cloud cover. I guess the cloudy nature of the UK is going to be >somewhat limiting?? >Grid ref: TM150500 >X: 615000m >Y: 250000m >Lat: 52:06:24N (52.1065) >Lon: 1:08:17E (1.1382) >Thanks >Nick W.
Some interesting reading at http://www.almac.co.uk/proven/FILES/Renewable%20Energy%20for%20Profes… or at http://makeashorterlink.com/?D16025BEB if the above doesn’t work. DTI booklet about implementing off-grid power in the UK. Also references http://www.met-office.gov.uk/climate/uk/stationdata/ which has dowloadable historical data from met office stations around the UK Hope this helps Adrian take out the papers and the trash to reply
Response:
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