The description of a novel device to measure the spectral direct normal irradiance is presented. The solar spectral irradiance meter (SSIM) was designed at the University of Ottawa as a cost-effective alternative to a prohibitively expensive field spectroradiometer (FSR). The latter measures highly-varying and location-dependent solar spectrum, which is essential for accurate characterization of a concentrating photovoltaic system’s performance. The SSIM measures solar spectral irradiance in several narrow wavelength bands with a combination of photodiodes with integrated interference filters. This device performs spectral measurements at a fraction of the cost of a FSR, but additional post-processing is required to deduce the solar spectrum. The model was developed to take the SSIM’s inputs and reconstruct the solar spectrum in 280–4000 nm range. It resolves major atmospheric processes, such as air mass changes, Rayleigh scattering, aerosol extinction, ozone and water vapour absorptions. The SSIM was installed at the University of Ottawa’s CPV testing facility in September, 2013. The device gathered six months of data from October, 2013 to March, 2014. The mean difference between the SSIM and the Eppley pyrheliometer was within ±1.5% for cloudless periods in October, 2013. However, interference filter degradation and condensation negatively affected the performance of the SSIM. Future design changes will improve the longterm reliability of the next generation SSIMs.

Development and optimisation of a robust energy yield prediction methodology is the ultimate aim of this research. Outdoor performance of the PV module is determined by the influences of a variety of interlinked factors related to the environment and device technologies. There are two basic measurement data sets required for any energy yield prediction model. Firstly, characterisation of specific PV module technology under different operating conditions and secondly site specific meteorological data. Based on these two datasets a calculation procedure is required in any specific location energy yield estimation. This research established a matrix based multi-dimensional measurement set points for module characterisation which is independent of PV technologies. This novel approach has been established by demonstrating an extended correlation of different environmental factors (irradiance, temperature and spectral irradiance) and their influences on the commercial PV device technologies. Utilisation of the site specific meteorological data is the common approach applied in this yield prediction method. A series of modelling approach, including a tri-linear interpolation method is then applied for energy yield calculation. A novel Monte Carlo simulation is demonstrated for uncertainty analysis of irradiance (pyranometer CM 11) & temperature (PT 1000) measurements and ultimately the yield prediction of c-Si and CIGS modules. The degree of uncertainties of irradiance is varies from ??2% to ??6.2% depending on the level of monthly irradiation. The temperature measurement uncertainty is calculated in the range of ??0.18??C to ??0.46%??C in different months of the year. The calculated uncertainty of the energy yield prediction of c-Si and CIGS module are ??2.78% and ??15.45%. This research validated different irradiance translation models to identify the best matched model for UK climate for horizontal to in-plane irradiance. Ultimately, the validation results of the proposed Fast Energy Yield Calculation (FEnYCs), shows a good agreement against measured values i.e. 5.48%, 6.97% and 3.1% for c-Si, a-Si and CIGS module respectively.

Ghost images are caused by the inter-reflections of light from optical surfaces that have transmittances less than unity. Ghosts can reduce contrast, provide misleading information, and if severe can veil parts of the nominal image. This dissertation develops several methodologies to simulate ghost effects arising from an even number of light reflections between the surfaces of multi-element lens systems. We present an algorithm to generate the ghost layout that is generated by two, four and up to N (even) reflections. For each possible ghost layout, paraxial ray tracing is performed to calculate the locations of the Gaussian cardinal points, the locations and diameters of the ghost entrance and exit pupils, the locations and diameters of the ghost entrance and exit windows, and the ghost chief and marginal ray heights and angles at each surface in the ghost layout. The paraxial ray trace data is used to estimate the fourth order ghost aberration coefficients. Petzval, tangential, and sagittal ghost image surfaces are introduced. Potential ghosts are formed at the intersection points between the ghost image surfaces and the Gaussian nominal image plane. Paraxial radiometric methodology is developed to estimate the ghost irradiance point spread function at the nominal image plane. Contrast reduction by ghosts can cause a reduction in the depth of field, and a simulation model and experimental technique that can be used to measure the depth of field is presented. Finally, ghost simulation examples are provided and discussed.

The object of this work is to create software implementing two algorithms for global ilumination computing. Iradiance and radiance caching should be implemented in CUDA framework on graphics card (GPU). Parallel implementation on GPU should dramatically improve algoritm speed compared to CPU implementation. The software will be written using already done framework for global illumunation computation. That allow to focus to algorithm implementation only. This work should speed up testing of new or existing methods for global illumination computing, because saving and reusing of intermediate results can be used for other algorithms too. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Modeling of solar irradiance for lunar base locations Abstract An incident radiation is an essential factor for a discovery of a place suitable for building a lunar base. This thesis presents a new approach for modeling of solar irradiance in an arbitrary lunar location at selected time. Shadowing by surrounding terrain is calculated by spatial intersection between lines of illumination and digital terrain model. Model also takes variable distance between Moon and Sun and areal representation of the Sun into account. In this thesis a new geometrical procedure for calculation of reflected irradiance is designed. The resulting model is implemented within ArcGIS software as an executable script, which utilizes the freely available data from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as an input. Key words: Moon, solar irradiance, geoinformatic modelling, scripting

The objective of this work is to create software implementing two algorithms for global ilumination computation. Iradiance and radiance caching should be implemented in CUDA framework on a graphics card (GPU). Parallel implementation on the GPU should improve algoritm speed compared to CPU implementation. The software will be written using an already done framework for global illumunation computation. That allows to focus on algorithm implementation only. This work should speed up testing of new or existing methods for global illumination computing, because saving and reusing of intermediate results can be used for other algorithms too. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Many advances have occurred in the field of optical design during the past decade. Some of the newer topics and concepts associated with the design and use of optical systems are complex and require comprehensive understanding of theory, expertise in state-of-the-art technology, and extensive computer simulations. This dissertation focuses on development of practical methods and tools for successful lens design and evaluation of state-of-the-art imaging and illumination systems. The dissertation addresses several current topics in modern optical engineering and utilizes approaches to provide insights into the inner workings of optical systems. Examples of modern mobile camera lenses are provided to show how specific methods can help to better understand these lens designs and to expand the imaging capabilities of miniature camera systems. Two simple but effective real ray tracing methods for correcting chromatic aberrations in imaging systems are described. The proposed methods separate monochromatic and chromatic aberration correction into two independent problems. This two-step approach provides effective alternatives in correcting chromatic aberrations. A number of unique calculations have been performed and some novel and interesting theoretical results, including the fourth-order theory of irradiance changes in axially symmetric optical systems, are reported. The specific relationships between the irradiance distribution and wavefront aberration coefficients to fourth order are derived for the first time. The practical case of relative illumination at the image plane of an optical system is also discussed in some detail.

Increased use of renewable energies that is taking place all over the world is having a very important impact on the photovoltaic solar energy industry. This means of obtaining electrical energy is one of the most promising ones nowadays, thanks to the fact that it is a technology of easy installation and maintenance. However, the number of hours that a photovoltaic system works at maximum power depends almost entirely on environmental conditions, mainly in terms of solar irradiance.Solar irradiance is a magnitude that measures the power released by sunlight per unit area; the higher it is, the more power the photovoltaic system will generate.Therefore, it is very important to measure this magnitude in order to obtain data that either can give information about which is the best place to install a photovoltaic system or expect the device performance.Unfortunately, sensors used nowadays to measure this magnitude are quite expensive. The most widely used are the so-called pyranometers, with an average cost of between 8000 SEK to 10000 SEK, and solar reference cells, which can be quite cheaper (1000 SEK), but also can be the most expensive devices on the market depending on the features they have (some reference cells cost 20000 SEK).In this thesis, a solar irradiance sensor based on the treatment of a current generated by a silicon photodiode has been designed, built and calibrated. The signal generated by the device is a voltage that has been obtained by means of a current-to-voltage converter amplifier stage. Once the construction of the circuit was completed, it was tested on the roof of Hall 45 located in the University of Gävle. The testing was carried out on 13, 14 and 15 May 2019, and it consisted in the comparison of the signal generated by the new device and the signals generated by a pyranometer and a solar cell.The result is a device priced at 200 SEK, which shows acceptable levels of accuracy during central daylight hours but shows a strong angular dependence on incident light during sunrise and sunset.

A radiação solar global (RG) é uma das variáveis meteorológicas mais importantes para a compreensão de processos biofísicos em ferramentas ao suporte de decisão na agricultura. Atualmente, ela pode ser medida por diferentes sensores de custo relativamente baixos e, de modo geral, apenas estações meteorológicas instaladas mais recentemente registram RG. Na falta de dados observados, torna-se necessário estimá-la através de modelos tão simples quanto possível e baseados em dados de entrada de fácil obtenção. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar dois modelos (Bristow e Campbell (1984) (BC) e Hargreaves e Samani (1982) (H)) e otimizá-los estatisticamente, ajustando seus parâmetros, tomando como referência uma base de dados observados de 32 localidades pelo Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais em todas as regiões brasileiras. O desempenho de cada modelo foi avaliado através do erro médio (EM), erro médio absoluto (EAM), coeficiente de determinação (R2), coeficiente de correlação (r), índice de concordância de Willmott (d) e raiz do erro médio quadrático (RMSE). Utilizando os parâmetros originais, o modelo H apresentou melhor desempenho, analisando RMSE, para todas as regiões brasileiras, com valores de 4.24 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Norte, 4.55 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Nordeste, 4.39 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Centro Oeste, 4.61 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Sul e 4.21 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Sudeste. Após a otimização, o melhor desempenho foi dado pelo modelo BC, em todas as regiões do Brasil, com RMSE de 3.44 MJ.m-2d-1 para a Região Norte, 3.70 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Nordeste, 3.62 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Centro Oeste, 4.43 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Sul e 3.50 MJ.m-2d-1 para a região Sudeste. Com a otimização dos parâmetros, encontraram-se valores médios para KT, utilizada pelo modelo de H: 0.152 °C-0,5 para a região Norte, 0.173 °C-0,5 para a região Nordeste, 0.145 °C-0,5 para a região Centro Oeste, 0.163 °C-0,5 para a região Sul e 0.152 °C-0,5 para a região Sudeste. Para os parâmetros adimensionais \"A\", \"B\" e \"C\" do modelo BC obteve-se para cada região, respectivamente, os seguintes valores: 0.619, 0.026 e 1.845 para a região Norte, 0.694, 0.074 e 1.489 para a região Nordeste, 0.635, 0.029 e 1.697 para a região Centro Oeste, 0.671, 0.044 e 1.580 para a região Sul e 0.702, 0.025 e 1.747 para a região Sudeste. / Global solar radiation (RG) is one of the most important weather variables for understanding the biophysical processes in agricultural support tools. Currently, it can be measured by different low cost sensors. In Brazil, weather stations just recently start to record RG values. In the absence of long term observed data, models for estimating RG are needed, and the objective of this study was to analyse two Bristow and Campbell (1984) (BC) and Hargreaves and Samani (1982) (H) models for different regions in Brazil against a reference database of 32 places collected the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) through the coefficient of determination (R2), correlation coefficient (r), Willmott concordance index (d), modelling efficiency (E), and root mean square error (RMSE). They were also statistically optimized based on an iterative approach. Using the original parameters, the H model presented the best performance for all Brazilian regions, with values with RMSE of 4.24 MJ.m-2d-1 for a North region, 4.55 MJ.m-2d-1 for the Northeast Region, 4.39 MJ.m-2d-1 for a Midwest region, 4.61 MJ.m-2d-1 for a South region and 4.21 MJ.m-2d-1 for a Southeast region. After the optimization process, the best performance was given by the BC model for all Brazilian regions, with RMSE of 3.44 MJ.m-2d-1 for a North Region, 3.70 MJ.m-2d-1 for a Northeast region, 3.62 MJ.m-2d-1 for a Midwest region, 4.43 MJ.m-2d-1 for a South region and 3.50 MJ.m-2d-1 for a Southeast region. After the parameter optimization, mean values for KT for H model were 0.152 °C-0.5 for the North region, 0.173°C-0.5 for the Northeast region, 0.145°C-0.5 for the Midwest region, 0.163 °C-0.5 for the South region and 0.152°C-0.5 for the Southeast region. For the BC´s dimensionless parameters \"A\", \"B\" and \"C\" it was found the following values, respectively: 0.619, 0.026 and 1.845 for the North region, 0.694, 0.074 and 1.489 for the Northeast region, 0.635, 0.029 and 1.697 for the Midwest region, 0.671, 0.044 and 1.580 for the South region, and 0.702, 0.025 and 1.747 for the Southeast region.

Le suivi journalier du bilan radiatif solaire est indispensable à l’étude des processus à l'interface sol-atmosphère, en particulier en climatologie et en hydrologie. Dans le cadre du projet CEOP-Aegis visant à étudier l'hydrologie du plateau du Tibet, cette thèse se concentre sur le développement d'une méthode permettant d’en estimer le bilan radiatif solaire de surface de façon quotidienne. Une série temporelle de flux radiatifs produite à partir de produits satellitaires existants met en évidence la nécessité d’intégrer la variabilité sous-pixel du terrain et des nuages pour les zones aussi hétérogènes que le Tibet. L’analyse de l’impact de la variabilité spatiale et temporelle des nuages sur le rayonnement solaire illustre le bénéfice lié à l’utilisation de la répartition des nuages plutôt que la fraction de nébulosité et l’importance d’une résolution temporelle élevée. Une méthode novatrice proposée pour la correction topographique sous-pixel montre que l’utilisation d’un modèle numérique de terrain à haute résolution spatiale améliore significativement l'estimation de l’éclairement ainsi que de l'albédo. Deux approches sont proposées pour améliorer l’estimation du bilan radiatif intégrant de manière adéquate l’hétérogénéité sous-pixel. / Monitoring the solar radiation budget on a daily basis is a prerequisite to study land surface processes, especially in climatology and hydrology. As part of the CEOP-Aegis project studying the hydrology of the Tibetan Plateau, this thesis focuses on developing a method to adequately estimate at-surface daily solar radiation budget over this particular area. A radiation budget time series produced based on existing satellite data products highlights the necessity to consider terrain and clouds sub-pixel variability when working over heterogeneous areas such as the Tibetan Plateau. The analysis of the impact of spatial and temporal variability of clouds on solar radiation demonstrates that the surface irradiance estimation would benefit from using cloud distribution instead of cloud fraction and the significance of high temporal resolution. A new sub-pixel topographic correction method is proposed and shows that using high resolution digital elevation model improves the irradiance as well as the albedo retrieval. Two approaches are proposed to improve solar radiation budget estimates taking into account adequately the sub-pixel heterogeneity.