Development of an automated global solarradiation network in Ohio

Abstract

During 1981, Miami University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC)cooperatively initiated the operation of eight automated, DC-powered global radiation stations which are well distributed throughout Ohio. Each station is lócated in a relatively open, grassy site at a rurally situated state or federal research facility. Personnel at each facility provide security and assistance in station maintenance. A processor-based data logger at each station scans sensors at one-minute intervals, processes the one-minute observations on an hourly and a 24-hr basis, and stores the processed data. Miami University and OARDC use telephone dial-up telemetry to collect the data at 36 and 24-hr intervals, respectively. Both have developed procedures for checking data quality, data archival, and producing summaries which are made available to individuals and organizations placing requests. Through 31 December 1981, the eight stations had collectively operated a total of 68 months. A total of just 4:5 days of global solar radiation data were lost during that period. A single data logger failure accounted for 1.5 days of that loss; the remainder resulted from modifications of the data loggers to improve data processing and retrieval flexibility. Side-by-side comparisons of the station pyranometers (Eppley PSPs) with “working standards” and inter-station comparisons of clear-day transmissivities indicate that pyranometer performance is very comparable throughout the network.