Abstract
This chapter discusses the aspects of climate relevant to solar system and house designs. The European community (EC) countries span a range of latitudes and longitudes, and accordingly climate characteristics vary considerably. The energy requirements and the solar system performance in a building depend predominantly on the solar irradiation and the ambient air temperature. The chapter also discusses the variation of these factors over the year and across European countries. The observed temperature distribution reflects the combined influence of the large-scale airflow patterns over Europe and the heating effects of the sun. The evaluation of solar energy applications requires radiation data for inclined surfaces and such data are given for cloudless and cloudy days. Brief mention is also made of other climatic factors, such as wind, snow and hail, which affect the (solar) house design in general. It will be seen that for an evaluation of the potential of solar energy systems, a balanced assessment of all climatic aspects must be made.
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