Measurement of the Direct Flux of Solar Radiation During Operation of a Big Solar Furnace

Abstract

Methods for measuring solar radiation are considered and long-term data obtained by actinometric measurements of solar radiation at the location of the big solar furnace of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan Institute of Materials Science Scientific Production Association Physics-Sun, with a thermal power of 1 MW, are analyzed. Concentrators of solar radiation efficiently operate at high values of the direct flux of solar radiation, whereas photovoltaic stations operate on diffuse and total radiation, too. Therefore, the main attention is paid to the measurement of the direct flux of solar radiation. The first results until 2013 were obtained by a semi-automatic mode with the help of actinometers of the AT-50 type, after that an automated meteorological station of the MHP type with high-precision pyrheliometers CHP1, manufactured by Kipp & Zonen, was produced by the Netherlands, which is the leader in the production of solar sensors. During the operation of the Big Solar Furnace, a direct stream of solar radiation is continuously measured, since the power of the installation is directly proportional to this. The obtained long-term results of measuring the direct flux of solar radiation are processed in order to obtain average statistical data by years. To obtain reliable data on solar energy, solar sensors are annually calibrated. The last verification was carried out in January of 2018 at Kipp & Zonen.