Solar position

The following solar position components are hard requirements in order to derive the single most important angle of solar incidence which is crucial for the estimation of the solar irradiance incident on a solar surface.

Tip

PVGIS CLI offers a primer on the solar position parameters. Inform yourself using the pvgis-prototype position intro command. See pvgis-prototype position into

The implementations concern NOAA's solar position equations, listed in dependency order :

Status Quantity Implementation Requires Required by Support a Moment Support Time series Optimisation
Fractional year fractional_year.py Timestamp (+ time zone ? ) 1 Equation of time, solar declination
Equation of time equation_of_time.py Fractional year Time offset
Time offset time_offset.py Equation of time True solar time
True solar time solar_time.py Time offset Solar hour angle
Solar hour angle solar_hour_angle.py True solar time Solar zenith, Solar altitude, Solar azimuth
Solar declination solar_declination.py Fractional year Solar zenith
Solar zenith solar_zenith.py Solar declination, Solar hour angle, Atmospheric refraction Solar altitude
Solar altitude solar_altitude.py Solar hour angle, Solar zenith Solar position
Solar azimuth solar_azimuth.py Solar declination, Solar hour angle, Solar zenith Solar position

Further are listed more quantities which are, however, not hard-requirements for the calculations of photovoltaic performance.

Also to support ?

Status Quantity Implementation Requires Required by Algorithm Time series Optimisation
Events events.py
Event hour angle event_hour_angle.py
Event time event_time.py
Local time local_time.py

  1. If the timezone is such that after conversion to UTC it changes the day, then is this required ? ↩