Classification of Pyranometers: Pyranometer

Pyranometer
 The full frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation projected by the Sun and received
on the Earth's surface impacts sensors within the device, which measures the density of the
fluctuations in the full field of 180 degrees surrounding the instrument.
 A solar pyranometer works by measuring the number of photons, small units of light, that
impact either a chemical or physical device within the instrument over time.
 One instrument that measures sunlight from a full 180 degree field of view is called
a pyranometer. A pyrheliometer is a device that is pointed directly at the sun for radiation
measurements.
 A pyranometer is an instrument designed to measure the power of the heat and light from the
Sun. Used primarily in the meteorological fields, solar radiation is identified with a
pyranometer placed on a flat surface.
Fig. 1. Pyranometer
Classification of pyranometers
Following the classifications and definitions noted in the ISO 9060, three types of
pyranometers can be recognized and grouped in two different technologies: thermopile
technology and silicon semiconductor technology.
A thermopile pyranometer is a sensor based on thermopiles designed to measure the

broadband of the solar radiation flux density from a 180° field of view angle. A thermopile
pyranometer thus usually measures 300 to 2800 nm with a largely flat spectral sensitivity (see
the Spectral Response graph) The first generation of thermopile pyranometers had the active
part of the sensor equally divided in black and white sectors. Irradiation was calculated from
the differential measure between the temperature of the black sectors, exposed to the sun, and
the temperature of the white sectors, sectors not exposed to the sun or better said in the
shades. In all thermopile technology, irradiation is proportional to the difference between the
temperature of the sun exposed area and the temperature of the shadow area.
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S.M.G Mostafa, AP, EEE,IIUC
Design
In order to attain the proper directional and spectral characteristics, a thermopile pyranometer
is constructed with the following main components:
A thermopile sensor with a black coating. It absorbs all solar radiation, has a flat spectrum
covering the 300 to 50,000 nanometer range, and has a near-perfect cosine response.
A glass dome. It limits the spectral response from 300 to 2,800 nanometers (cutting off the
part above 2,800 nm), while preserving the 180° field of view. It also shields the thermopile
sensor from convection.
Usage
Thermopile pyranometers are frequently used in meteorology, climatology, climate change

research, building engineering physics and in photovoltaic systems. They are usually installed
horizontally in meteorological stations; when they are mounted beside solar panels, they are
typically mounted with the sensor surface on the plane of the panel.
Photodiode-based pyranometer
Also known as a silicon pyranometer in the ISO 9060, a photodiode-based pyranometer can
detect the portion of the solar spectrum between 400 nm and 900 nm, with the most
performant detecting between 350 nm and 1100 nm. The photodiode converts the
aforementioned solar spectrum frequencies into current at high speed, thanks to the
photoelectric effect. The conversion is influenced by the temperature with a raise in current
produced by the raise in temperature (about 0, 1% • °C)
Design
A photodiode-based pyranometer is composed by a housing dome, a photodiode, and a

diffuser or optical filters. The photodiode has a small surface area and acts as a sensor. The
current generated by the photodiode is proportional to irradiance; an output circuit, such as a
transimpedance amplifier, generates a voltage directly proportional to the photocurrent. The
output is usually on the order of millivolts, the same order of magnitude of thermopile-type
pyranometers.
Usage
Photodiode-based pyranometers are implemented where the quantity of irradiation of the
visible solar spectrum, or of certain portions such as UV, PAR, or IR, needs to be calculated.
This is done by using diodes with specific spectral responses. Photodiode-based
pyranometers are the core of luxmeter used in photography, cinema and lighting technique.
Sometimes they are also installed close to modules of photovoltaic systems.
Photovoltaic pyranometer
Built around the 2000s concurrently with the spread of photovoltaic systems, the photovoltaic
pyranometer is a derivation of the photodiode pyranometer. It answered the need for a single
reference photovoltaic cell when measuring the power of cell and photovoltaic modules.
Specifically, each cell and module is tested through flash tests by their respective
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manufacturers, and thermopile pyranometers do not possess the adequate speed of response
nor the same spectral response of a cell. This would create obvious mismatch when
measuring power, which would need to be quantified. In the technical documents, this
pyranometer is also known as "reference PV cell", "irradiance sensor", "solarimeter", "solar
sensor", as bibliographies are more recent than the ISO 9060.
The active part of the sensor is composed of a photovoltaic cell working in near short-circuit
condition. As such, the generated current is directly proportionate to the solar radiation
hitting the cell in a range between 350 nm and 1150 nm. When invested by a luminous
radiation in the mentioned range, it produces current as a consequence of the photovoltaic
effect. Its sensitivity is not flat, but it is same as that of Silicon photovoltaic cell. See the
Spectral Response graph.
Design
A photovoltaic pyranometer is essentially assembled with the following parts:
 A metallic container with a fixing staff
 A small photovoltaic cell
 Signal conditioning electronics

Silicon sensors such as the photodiode and the photovoltaic cell vary the output in function of
temperature. In the more recent models, the electronics compensate the signal with the
temperature, therefore removing the influence of temperature out of the values of solar
irradiance. Inside several models, the case houses a board for the amplification and
conditioning of the signal.
Usage
Photovoltaic pyranometers are used in solar simulators and alongside photovoltaic system for
the calculation of photovoltaic modules effective power and system performances. Thanks to
its spectral response, obviously similar to that of a photovoltaic module, it is used also in
preliminary diagnosis of malfunction in photovoltaic systems.
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Pyranometer

A thermopile pyranometer is a sensor based on thermopiles designed to measure the

Thermopile pyranometers are frequently used in meteorology, climatology, climate change

A photodiode-based pyranometer is composed by a housing dome, a photodiode, and a

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