California Center for Sustainable Energy

Measurement Type: Used to measure solar intensity in watts/m2.

The pyranometer is an instrument for measuring solar irradiance. Two pyranometers can easily be mounted back-to-back to make a low-cost albedometer. The thermopile sensor construction measures the solar energy that is received from the total solar spectrum and the whole hemisphere (180 degrees field of view). The output is expressed in watts per square meter.

The pyranometer is intended for shortwave global solar radiation measurements in the spectral range from 310 to 2800 nm. The thermopile detector measures irradiance up to 2000 W/m² with response time <18 seconds and typical sensitivity 10 µV/W/m² that varies less than 5 % from -10 ºC to +40 ºC.

Availability: Loaned free of charge for up to 5 business days.

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