Solar resource assessment for Austin, Texas: 1985-89. Final report

A project has been underway at The University of Texas at Austin since the beginning of 1985 to acquire solar radiation data, the goal being eventually to provide sufficient data to represent a long-term data base for Austin. The data recorded are global horizontal, diffuse horizontal, and direct normal solar radiation, as well as other weather parameters. The report documents and assesses the 5-year data base from 1985 through 1989. The hourly data for the 5 years are also archived on the university's central computer system. The primary formats for the data presented herein are the monthly average daily and yearly average daily global horizontal and direct normal radiation for each of the 5 years and for the 5-year composite. Comparison of the global data is made with Austin SOLMET data, and standard deviations are determined for both the global and direct normal data. In addition, the data are further assessed in terms of the global and direct normal radiation intensity distributions by month and the day-to-day variations in the global horizontal radiation data. While the 5-year data base agrees reasonably well with SOLMET, the standard deviation in the monthly data suggests that the data base should be extended inmore » time.« less