An easily designed and constructed photovoltaic pyrheliometer

Abstract

In this paper, a simple Normal Incident Pyrheliometer, called a photovoltaic pyrheliometer, is proposed. The device consist of, as the name implies, a polycrystalline solar cell and a collimator tube. The collimator tube has a square field. The proposed device is assembled by mounting the solar cell at the field stop of the collimator and the whole arrangement is mounted on a sun tracker. The proposed pyrheliometer requires only the measurement of the short-circuit current Isc which is then easily converted to an isolation value by using the calibration factor of the solar cell. Field tests have shown that the proposed pyrheliometer compares well with that of Eppley. © 1988.