Presenter: Minyuan Wang
Faculty Mentor: Josh Peterson, Frank Vignola
Presentation Type: Poster 87
Primary Research Area: Science
Major: Biochemistry, Human Physiology
Accurate measurements of solar radiation are important for climate modeling, efficient building design, and in the development of solar electric systems. These measurements are performed using instruments that must be calibrated and maintained at the highest quality level. The Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer (MFR) measures three components of incoming solar radiation: light directly from the sun (Direct Irradiance), light coming from everywhere but the sun (Diffuse Irradiance), and light incident from everywhere (Global Irradiance). The MFR device is a unique instrument in that it can make all three of these measurements and does so at six discrete wavelengths. The purpose of this project was to accurately calibrate the MFR device and determine the corresponding uncertainty. To do this, solar radiation data was collected and analyzed from various reference instruments and the MFR in Eugene, Oregon, from June through September 2015 at all times of day throughout the 4-month period. The irradiance measured by the MFR was compared to the reference instruments and the calibration factor of the MFR device was determined. Our results were within 2.5% of the calibration performed in 2013 for each of the six wavelengths the MFR measures with an uncertainty of ±5% at the 95 percent confidence level.