Solar Radiation Cloud Cover Adjustment Calculator

Introduction : This calculator demonstrates how data is pre-processed, or modified, prior to being entered into an atmospheric model. The calculator determines the amount of solar insolation (in W-m2) for a clear sky (R0), then adjusts that amount of solar insolation for the amount of cloud cover present.

In this calculator, you have three input values:

  1. the solar elevation angle (in degrees) at the current hour
  2. the solar elevation angle (in degrees) at the previous hour
  3. the percentage of cloud cover (0 - 100 percent)

The algorithm for the the solar radiation cloud cover adjustment calculator is:

Mathematical equation for solar radiation adjustment

Solar Radiation Cloud Cover Adjustment Calculator

Input Values:

Solar elevation for current hour (in degrees)
Solar elevation for previous hour (in degrees)
Percentage Cloud cover(as percentage)

Results:

Clear sky solar insolation (W-m2)
Solar radiation corrected for cloud cover (W-m2)