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NREL Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility RSR

NREL Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility RSR

Latitude: 39.74211o North
Longitude: 105.17572o West
Elevation: 1793 AMSL
Time Zone: MST

Data sets currently available on VTIF RSR web site Additional information or data

*** Notice: Sensors are not level since January 14, 2018. Data should be used with caution. ***

*** Unless there is a specific need for the VTIF location, users should use the well maintained high quality 3-component thermopile pyranometers from the nearby SRRL Baseline Measurement System (BMS) ***

A rotating shadowband radiometer (RSR) offers a lower cost option of measuring solar radiation resources for renewable energy applications. The RSR uses a silicon-based photodiode pyranometer to measure the global and diffuse solar irradiance. The control and data acquisition system then computes the corresponding direct normal solar irradiance based on the geographic location of the RSR and the time of the data collection events.

By design, the RSRs offer the potential advantages of lower maintenance and calibration costs because they use a single pyranometer with a diffuser for determining the direct, diffuse, and global solar irradiance rather than up to three radiometers with larger optical surfaces, more complex support equipment, or more maintenance-intensive support equipment. Their potential disadvantage is the higher estimated measurement uncertainty because of factors such as the restricted spectral response of the silicon-based detector used in the RSR. Postprocessing software to account for the limited spectral response of the silicon detector has been developed and applied the RSR data. This solar-powered system is simple to operate and provides basic resource information.

For more information about the RSR visit Irradiance, Inc.



Any publication based in whole or in part on these data sets should cite the data source as:

Lustbader, J.; Andreas, A.; (2012). NREL Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF): Rotating
Shadowband Radiometer (RSR); Golden, Colorado (Data); NREL Report No. DA-5500-56490.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5439/1052223

For more information about this website or the data contact: Afshin Andreas