Solar irradiance 03/19/16
Our Sun is the largest producer of energy in our solar system. This energy is often produced in the form of solar radiation. Because of this, scientists pay special attention to the study of solar irradiation. The unit used for measuring such radiation is wm2(WattsMeter2) because we often measure the energy striking the surface area of the earth. Part of the energy that reaches an object in the range of the sun’s energy is absorbed and part is reflected, depending on the level of it’s albedo (reflectivity). The amount of energy that a receives from a blast of sunlight is also contingent upon the Cosine of the angle between the surface and the light, imagine it like water striking object at an angle, if the angle is closer to zero, then a higher percentage of the medium will come into contact with the surface. The study of Solar irradiance has a very pragmatic purpose in the form of solar energy, since the energy that strikes the earth can be transferred into useful processes.
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