NREL's Spectral Solar Radiation Data Base

The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI)*, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) cooperated to produce a spectral solar radiation data base representing a range of atmospheric conditions (or climates) that is applicable to several different types of solar collectors. Data that are included in the data base were collected at FSEC from October 1986 to April 1988, and at PG&E from April 1987 to April 1988. FSEC operated one EPRI and one SERI spectroradiometer almost daily at Cape Canaveral, which contributed nearly 2800 spectra to the data base. PG&E operated one EPRI spectroradiometer at San Ramon, Calif., as resources permitted contributing nearly 300 spectra to the data base. SERI collected about 200 spectra in the Denver/Golden, Colo., area form November 1987 to February 1988 as part of a research project to study urban spectral solar radiation, and added these data to the data base.

*In September 1991 the Solar Energy Research Institute became the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.


  Spectral Solar Radiation Data Base
Documentation, Vol. I

  Spectral Solar Radiation Data Base
Documentation, Vol. II

Map of Sites

Click here to expand figure.


Note:

Some of these files are too large to view on-line as they are. It is possible to download them directly, however, using Netscape. We do not know currently if it is possible with other browsers, but to get them using Netscape do the following:

Macintosh

Hold down the mouse button on the link of the file which you want until an option menu pops up. Then choose the "save this link as" option and it will ask you where you want to save it.

UNIX or Windows

Click the right mouse button on the link and choose the "save this link as" option from the pop-up menu.

These instructions hold for all of the config and data files as well as the notes, quality control, and uncertainty files listed below. Some of the files are small enough to load in Netscape so you can view them on-line as well, but this downloading method will work for all of them regardless.


Configuration and Data Files

FSEC - Florida Solar Energy Center

  • FLA8610.DAT: View 180K

  • FLA8611.DAT: View 550K

  • FLA8612.DAT: View 487K

  • FLA8701.DAT: View 473K

  • FLA8704.DAT: View 1028K

  • FLA8705.DAT: View 801K

  • FLA8706.DAT: View 1202K

  • FLA8707.DAT: View 1273K

  • FLA8708.DAT: View 625K

  • FLA8709.DAT: View 190K

  • FLA8710.DAT: View 844K

  • FLA8711.DAT: View 269K

  • FLA8712.DAT: View 538K

  • FLA8801.DAT: View 667K

  • FLA8802.DAT: View 1035K

  • FLA8803.DAT: View 1145K

  • FLA8804.DAT: View 118K

    PG&E - Pacific Gas & Electric

  • PGE8704.DAT: View 161K

  • PGE8705.DAT: View 168K

  • PGE8706.DAT: View 149K

  • PGE8707.DAT: View 187K

  • PGE8708.DAT: View 50K

  • PGE8711.DAT: View 95K

  • PGE8801.DAT: View 259K

  • PGE8802.DAT: View 102K

    SERI - Solar Energy Research Institute (Now NREL)

  • SER8711.DAT: View 156K

  • SER8712.DAT: View 99K

  • SER8801.DAT: View 382K

  • SER8802.DAT: View 631K


    Notes Files

    FSEC.NOTES: View 111K

    PG&E.NOTES: View 8K

    SERI.NOTES: View 14K


    Quality Control (QC) Files

    FSEC

    FLA8610.QC: View 21K

    FLA8610.QC: View 31K

    FLA8611.QC: View 19K

    FLA8701.QC: View 19K

    FLA8704.QC: View 30K

    FLA8705.QC: View 20K

    FLA8706.QC: View 30K

    FLA8707.QC: View 34K

    FLA8708.QC: View 17K

    FLA8709.QC: View 6K

    FLA8710.QC: View 23K

    FLA8711.QC: View 8K

    FLA8712.QC: View 14K

    FLA8801.QC: View 16K

    FLA8802.QC: View 26K

    FLA8803.QC: View 29K

    FLA8804.QC: View 3K

    PG&E

    PGE8704.QC: View 8K

    PGE8705.QC: View 9K

    PGE8706.QC: View 8K

    PGE8707.QC: View 11K

    PGE8708.QC: View 4K

    PGE8711.QC: View 7K

    PGE8801.QC: View 16K

    PGE8802.QC: View 7K

    SERI

    SER8711.QC: View 12K

    SER8712.QC: View 8K

    SER8801.QC: View 29K

    SER8802.QC: View 48K


    Uncertainty Files

    These files are not in the format listed in the manual, but they are pretty self-explanatory as stand alone files. If you have questions about these files, send e-mail to rredc@nrel.gov.

    FSEC Licor PRS-102: View 42K

    SERI Licor PRS-158: View 28K

    FSEC Licor PRS-172: View 14K

    PG&E Licor PRS-174: View 53K

    FSEC Licor PRS-218: View 6K


    Return to RReDC home page (http://www.nrel.gov/rredc)