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Va-spectrometer.jpg
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Type Paper
Cite as Citation reference for the source document. O. Ormachea ; A. Abrahamse ; N. Tolavi ; F. Romero ; O. Urquidi ; J. M. Pearce ; R. Andrews; Installation of a variable-angle spectrometer system for monitoring diffuse and global solar radiation. Proc. SPIE 8785, 8th Iberoamerican Optics Meeting and 11th Latin American Meeting on Optics, Lasers, and Applications, 87850M (November 18, 2013); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2025480

We report on the design and installation of a spectrometer system for monitoring solar radiation in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Both the light intensity and the spectral distribution affect the power produced by a photovoltaic device. Local variations in the solar spectrum (especially compared to the AM1.5 standard) may have important implications for device optimization and energy yield estimation. The spectrometer system, based on an Ocean Optics USB4000 (300-900nm) spectrometer, was designed to increase functionality. Typically systems only record the global horizontal radiation. Our system moves a fiber-optic cable 0-90 degrees and takes measurements in 9 degree increments. Additionally, a shadow band allows measurement of the diffuse component of the radiation at each position. The electronic controls utilize an Arduino UNO microcontroller to synchronizes the movement of two PAP bipolar (stepper) motors with the activation of the spectrometer via an external trigger. The spectrometer was factory calibrated for wavelength and calibrated for absolute irradiance using a Sellarnet SL1-Cal light source. We present preliminary results from data taken March-June, 2013, and comment on implications for PV devices in Cochabamba.

For preliminary results:

  • Omar Ormachea, Faviola Romero, Oscar Urquidi, Augusta Abrahamse, Joshua Pearce, Matthew de Vuono, Rob Andrews. Desarrollo de un sistema de monitoreo de radiación solar basado en un espectrómetro de amplio espectro y análisis de resultados preliminares. Procedings of the Simposio Nacional en Energías Renovables, Cochabamba, Bolivia, 2012. pages 97-104. open access

See also

Va-spec.jpg
FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Authors Joshua M. Pearce
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Organizations Universidad Privada Boliviana
Language English (en)
Translations Turkish, Portuguese
Related 2 subpages, 8 pages link here
Impact 441 page views
Created November 24, 2013 by Joshua M. Pearce
Modified February 28, 2024 by Felipe Schenone
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