The angular distribution of diffuse solar radiation over the sky hemisphere

• Main Author: Stewart, Kathleen Elizabeth
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/24778

The use of a video-based imaging system in conjunction with measurements of sky radiance made by a Linke-Feussner actinometer provide the means for determining the angular distribution of diffuse solar radiation over the sky hemisphere. Development of this fast-response, high resolution measurement procedure allows analyses to be made under complex radiative regimes in which earlier experimental procedures were not satisfactory. Investigations into the directional distribution of diffuse radiance confirm the anisotropy of the pattern, dispelling any assumption that the distribution over the sky hemisphere is isotropic. Measurements of diffuse radiance act as a calibration for the brightness information derived from the video imagery of the sky. The appropriate transformation from brightness to radiance may be determined once the calibration procedure has been accomplished. Functional analysis is presented as the statistical tool most useful for determining the relationship underlying the calibration curves. This study discusses the advantages of using video imaging techniques in a climatological application and shows how this type of system can yield valuable information concerning radiative characteristics otherwise unavailable with conventional measurement techniques. === Arts, Faculty of === Geography, Department of === Graduate