A parameterisation of vertical profile of solar irradiance for correcting solar fluxes for changes in terrain elevation

Abstract

This paper deals with the modelling of vertical profile of solar irradiance for correcting solar radiation data. An approximation of the influence of the terrain elevation on all -skies radiation and a parameterisation of vertical profile on clear -skies radiation are proposed. This parame terisation, called double -z fitting function, is validated using two radiative transfer model s. The main applications of this work are: computing clear -sky irradiances from satellite images, extrapolation of irradiances from one site to another of different altitude and correction of databases derived from satellite images. 1. NOMENCLATURE