Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance

<p dir="ltr">Accurate plane-of-array (POA) irradiance measurements are critical for assessing photovoltaic (PV) performance, yet systematic discrepancies between thermopile pyranometers and silicon-based instruments remain underexplored across varying climates. This work quantifies t...

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محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Yazan J.K. Musleh (23715429) (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Dunia A. Bachour (20568161) (author), Carlos D. Rodríguez-Gallegos (19675636) (author), Daniel Perez-Astudillo (13751510) (author), Marília Braga (23715432) (author), Ricardo Rüther (23715435) (author)
منشور في: 2026
الموضوعات:
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author Yazan J.K. Musleh (23715429)
author2 Dunia A. Bachour (20568161)
Carlos D. Rodríguez-Gallegos (19675636)
Daniel Perez-Astudillo (13751510)
Marília Braga (23715432)
Ricardo Rüther (23715435)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Yazan J.K. Musleh (23715429)
Dunia A. Bachour (20568161)
Carlos D. Rodríguez-Gallegos (19675636)
Daniel Perez-Astudillo (13751510)
Marília Braga (23715432)
Ricardo Rüther (23715435)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Yazan J.K. Musleh (23715429)
Dunia A. Bachour (20568161)
Carlos D. Rodríguez-Gallegos (19675636)
Daniel Perez-Astudillo (13751510)
Marília Braga (23715432)
Ricardo Rüther (23715435)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-07-07T03:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Climatic_and_atmospheric_determinants_of_sensor-type_biases_in_measured_solar_irradiance/31989426
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Engineering
Electrical engineering
Environmental engineering
Information and computing sciences
Data management and data science
Irradiance
Instrumentation
Quality control
Pyranometer
Reference Cell
SiliconThermopile
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">Accurate plane-of-array (POA) irradiance measurements are critical for assessing photovoltaic (PV) performance, yet systematic discrepancies between thermopile pyranometers and silicon-based instruments remain underexplored across varying climates. This work quantifies the measurement biases of silicon-based sensors relative to thermopile, using data from eight globally distributed sites covering arid, tropical, subtropical, and temperate regimes. While overall correlations were strong, consistent offsets of -12.5 to +3.5 W/m<sup>2</sup> emerged, largely influenced by solar geometry, sky clarity, and aerosol conditions. Reference cells tended to under-respond under clear, beam-dominated skies, but showed slight over-responses in diffuse-rich or cloud-enhanced environments. Three empirical correction schemes were developed and tested using six sites for training (70/30 split). A geometry-only model based on solar zenith angle (SZA) provided limited improvement, whereas incorporating both SZA and the clearness index (K<sub>t</sub>) yielded consistent error reductions across climates. At the arid Qatar site, for instance, the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) dropped from 4.2% to 2.8%, with bias effectively eliminated. Independent testing at two temperate settings confirmed the approach’s robustness, with the SZA and Kt formulation offering the most balanced and transferable correction. Overall, combining solar geometry with sky-clarity metrics provides a simple yet effective cross-climate framework, reducing RMSD by roughly 0.5-1% and Mean Bias Deviation (MBD) by 1-2%. The method enables reliable harmonization between pyranometer and reference-cell measurements, improving the accuracy of POA inputs for PV modelling and long-term system evaluation.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Solar Energy<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_8e4eb25a140067676a9f7f5e0772c093
identifier_str_mv 10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/31989426
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spelling Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradianceYazan J.K. Musleh (23715429)Dunia A. Bachour (20568161)Carlos D. Rodríguez-Gallegos (19675636)Daniel Perez-Astudillo (13751510)Marília Braga (23715432)Ricardo Rüther (23715435)EngineeringElectrical engineeringEnvironmental engineeringInformation and computing sciencesData management and data scienceIrradianceInstrumentationQuality controlPyranometerReference CellSiliconThermopile<p dir="ltr">Accurate plane-of-array (POA) irradiance measurements are critical for assessing photovoltaic (PV) performance, yet systematic discrepancies between thermopile pyranometers and silicon-based instruments remain underexplored across varying climates. This work quantifies the measurement biases of silicon-based sensors relative to thermopile, using data from eight globally distributed sites covering arid, tropical, subtropical, and temperate regimes. While overall correlations were strong, consistent offsets of -12.5 to +3.5 W/m<sup>2</sup> emerged, largely influenced by solar geometry, sky clarity, and aerosol conditions. Reference cells tended to under-respond under clear, beam-dominated skies, but showed slight over-responses in diffuse-rich or cloud-enhanced environments. Three empirical correction schemes were developed and tested using six sites for training (70/30 split). A geometry-only model based on solar zenith angle (SZA) provided limited improvement, whereas incorporating both SZA and the clearness index (K<sub>t</sub>) yielded consistent error reductions across climates. At the arid Qatar site, for instance, the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) dropped from 4.2% to 2.8%, with bias effectively eliminated. Independent testing at two temperate settings confirmed the approach’s robustness, with the SZA and Kt formulation offering the most balanced and transferable correction. Overall, combining solar geometry with sky-clarity metrics provides a simple yet effective cross-climate framework, reducing RMSD by roughly 0.5-1% and Mean Bias Deviation (MBD) by 1-2%. The method enables reliable harmonization between pyranometer and reference-cell measurements, improving the accuracy of POA inputs for PV modelling and long-term system evaluation.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Solar Energy<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592</a></p>2026-07-07T03:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1016/j.solener.2026.114592https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Climatic_and_atmospheric_determinants_of_sensor-type_biases_in_measured_solar_irradiance/31989426CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/319894262026-07-07T03:00:00Z
spellingShingle Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
Yazan J.K. Musleh (23715429)
Engineering
Electrical engineering
Environmental engineering
Information and computing sciences
Data management and data science
Irradiance
Instrumentation
Quality control
Pyranometer
Reference Cell
SiliconThermopile
status_str publishedVersion
title Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
title_full Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
title_fullStr Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
title_full_unstemmed Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
title_short Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
title_sort Climatic and atmospheric determinants of sensor-type biases in measured solar irradiance
topic Engineering
Electrical engineering
Environmental engineering
Information and computing sciences
Data management and data science
Irradiance
Instrumentation
Quality control
Pyranometer
Reference Cell
SiliconThermopile