Solar Radiation

Daryl R. Myers worked as a senior scientist at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for 37 years before retiring in 2011. He contributed to the development of many national solar radiometry consensus standards, the U.S. National Solar Radiation Data Base, and joint satellite data validation projects. He is the author or coauthor of 160 technical publications.

This work provides a unique balance of a theoretical treatment and practical application for a broad readership interested in learning and using the latest information on solar radiation modeling. The scope is comprehensive, giving the reader everything from the subject fundamentals to the numerical recipes and technical references for further study. The treatment of uncertainty and the ‘modeler’s toolbox’ formed by the appendices are reason enough to have this book.This is a timely publication for understanding and applying solar resource characterization … a uniquely comprehensive treatment of the many aspects of modeling broadband and spectral solar irradiance at the Earth’s surface. The numerical recipes for modeling solar radiation under clear and cloudy sky conditions make this a very practical reference as well as a useful introduction to the subject. The balanced content is exemplified by the treatment of solar measurements and measurement uncertainty that are key factors in the development and validation of models.—Tom Stoffel, U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory… a relevant and well-structured tour through the ever-increasing array of radiometric modeling techniques available to researchers. … an indispensable guide to practitioners and teachers by one of the leading authorities on solar resource modeling. Students will appreciate the worked examples. … It offers a thorough and long-overdue summary of solar radiometric modeling from one of the most experienced authorities in the field.—Michael Brooks, University of KwaZulu-NatalThe book gives a unique overview of the models used in the solar radiation community. … even the more complex models are shown in all details. … This is a good textbook for students who want to understand and reproduce the models used in solar radiation modeling nowadays.—Jan Remund, MeteotestFor people looking for better information to understand solar radiation science, measuring techniques, instrumentation uncertainties, and modeling of solar radiation under different orientation and sky conditions, I recommend this book.—Alemu Tadesse, SunEdison

• Fundamentals of Solar Radiation. Introduction to Solar Radiation Measurements. Modeling Clear Sky Solar Radiation. Modeling Global Irradiance under All Sky Conditions. Modeling Missing Components. Applications: Modeling Solar Radiation Available to Collectors. Introduction to Modeling Spectral Distributions. Introduction to Modeling Daylight. Summary and Future Prospects. Appendices.