Pyranometer vs Pyrheliometer
Pyranometer and Pyrheliometer are two instruments that are used to measure solar irradiance. Both are similar in their objective though have differences in their design and working principle. This article attempts to highlight these differences.
Renewable sources of energy have become very important these days considering fast depletion of fossil fuels and also their adverse impact on our environment. Sun’s energy has emerged as an attractive option to meet our energy requirements. However, out of all the Sun’s energy that reaches earth’s atmosphere, not all gets down to the surface of the earth. Some energy is lost because of reflection by earth’s atmosphere while some more gets absorbed by the atmosphere. Pyranometer is a specially designed instrument that measures solar irradiance. It is quite a useful device that helps in meteorological research, solar energy research and also in many scientific applications. It is one instrument that can be seen mounted on the roof of meteorological stations and is placed next to the solar panels used to tap sun’s energy. Pyranometers work to measure sun’s diffused energy. Since it is sun’s diffused energy that is of greater importance to us, it is Pyranometer that has greater significance than Pyrheliometer.
Pyrheliometer is another instrument used to measure sun’s irradiance and it is different from Pyranometer in that it measures direct energy from the sun instead of diffused energy. It converts sun’s energy into an electric signal that can be easily measured. Sun’s light is allowed to enter the instrument and is then passed on to a thermopile which makes conversion of this energy into electrical signals. The voltage that is generated tells us watts per square meter of energy that is received. Pyrheliometer helps in assessing the efficiency of solar panels that are installed to tap sun’s energy and also to help in meteorological research.
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In brief: Pyranometer vs Pyrheliometer • Pyranometer is a dome like structure that measures diffused sun energy while Pyrheliometer is an instrument that measures direct sun’s energy. • Both are often used in conjunction in meteorological research stations. • While Pyranometer measures global solar radiation, Pyrheliometer measures direct solar irradiance.
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