What is incident sunlight?

Incident solar radiation (Gg) is the radiant solar energy that hits the earth’s surface and is referred as “global radiation” on a surface (W m−2).

What is the sun’s angle of incidence?

90°
NOTE: this corre- sponds to a 90° solar elevation angle (angle of incidence), meaning that the sun is 90° from the horizon, i.e., directly overhead.

How do you calculate incident solar radiation?

The solar declination angle varies from + 23.5 deg on summer solstice to -23.5 deg on winter solstice, and 0 deg on the vernal equinox and autumnal equinox. Solar insolation (I) can be calculated using the following formula: I = S cosZ.

What is the effect of incident angle on sunlight intensity?

When the Sun’s rays are perpendicular to an absorbing surface, the irradiance incident on that surface has the highest possible power density. As the angle between the sun and the absorbing surface changes, the intensity of light on the surface is reduced.

What is incident radiation flux?

Radiative flux, also known as radiative flux density or radiation flux (or sometimes power flux density), is the amount of power radiated through a given area, in the form of photons or other elementary particles, typically measured in W/m2.

How do you find the angle of incidence?

Angle of Incidence Calculator

  1. Formula. θ1 = sin-1 ( n2 * sin (θ2) / n1 )
  2. Refractive Index 1.
  3. Refractive Index 2.
  4. Angle of Refraction (degrees)

What is the sun’s angle of incidence at equator?

90 degrees
The circle of illumination passes through the Poles, the Sun’s rays strike the equator at an angle of 90 degrees, and every part of the Earth has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.

How do you calculate incident radiation flux?

Φ = L⁄4πr2 is the radiation flux, L is the luminosity, or total power output of the source, and r is the distance from the radiation source. The units of radiation flux are W·m−2 (watt per metre squared), or kg·s−3 (kilograms per second, per second, per second).

What is the relationship between angle of incident and light intensity?

The intensity of the reflected light depends on the angle of incidence and also on the direction of polarization. For E perpendicular to the plane of incidence, the reflection coefficient R⊥ is R⊥=IrIi=sin2(θi−θt)sin2(θi+θt).

How do you calculate incident flux?

What is Sun flux?

Solar flux, or concentrated sunlight, is a measure of how much light energy is being radiated in a given area. Solar flux can be characterized by the familiar W/m² or kW/m². Thermal (heat) flux. Thermal energy, or thermal flux is what we call heat.

What is the value of incident sunlight?

Incident sunlight is usually thought of in terms of power per unit area. The typical units are mW/cm 2. At the earth’s surface, the nominal value of the solar constant is 137 mW/cm 2. This value corresponds to high noon with the sun directly overhead (as would occur at the equator or in the tropics).

How do you calculate the incident power of the Sun?

The incident power will, however, vary throughout the day as sun’s elevation angle fluctuates. Suppose that in the summer on the equator you will have twelve hours of sunlight and the sun moves at a linear rate from horizon to horizon. The ‘elevation angle’ of the sun will then be given by θ = ω t where ω = 2 π 24 hours = 72 μ r a d / s e c.

What is the incident angle of the Sun?

Incident Angle of Sunlight. Category: When the Sun’s rays are perpendicular to an absorbing surface, the irradiance incident on that surface has the highest possible power density. As the angle between the sun and the absorbing surface changes, the intensity of light on the surface is reduced.

Why do my computations give me an overestimate of the sunlight?

My computations give me an overestimate for two reasons: I assumed that your are exactly on the equator (maximum sunlight). I also assumed that the atmosphere is perfectly transmissive. It is not transmissive and in fact fluctuates with time of day (the sunlight from the horizon has to pass through more ‘atmosphere’ than the sunlight at noon).