Kipp & Zonen launches new development at Intersolar Europe
Kipp & Zonen, supplier of solar radiation measurement solutions, announced the launch of a new development at Intersolar Europe in Munich.
RaZON+ is an all-in-one system that accurately measures both direct normal irradiance (DNI) and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) from the sun and sky, enabling it to provide very reliable values of global horizontal solar irradiance (GHI) and sunshine duration. This new and affordable system helps solar energy projects, PV as well as CSP, to prospect for new locations, calculate performance ratios, maximise operating efficiency, schedule maintenance and monitor plant performance; all with a minimal soiling effect.
Decades of scientific knowledge, engineering experience and customer feedback have been the inspiration for this new development. RaZON+ uses a new and unique design of integrated Smart pyrheliometer and shaded Smart pyranometer with quartz diffuser that both meet ISO 9060 requirements. The innovative features of the pyrheliometer minimise the effects of soiling when operated unattended in remote locations, without compromising the high accuracy of the instrument. "The first prototype tests already confirmed that we were heading in the right direction with RaZON+" says Ilja Staupe, the leading Physicist of this development. "We quickly found out we had something really innovative at hand and applied for a patent".
RaZON+ measures the diffuse horizontal solar irradiance with a shaded Smart pyranometer mounted on top of the housing. Kipp & Zonen chooses to measure DNI and DHI and calculate GHI, as this minimises the effect of thermal offsets in the pyranometer and provides an accurate and reliable measurement with a much lower uncertainty. RaZON+ capabilities can easily be extended with the connection of a compact weather station or other Modbus sensors.
After simple installation and alignment, RaZON+ uses its GPS receiver to track the sun from dawn to dusk and automatically stores measurement data from the integrated pyrheliometer and shaded pyranometer. User friendliness was a key target in the development, not just for installation but also for the collection of accurate solar irradiance data. Thanks to the integrated data logger and the Smart radiometers with internal temperature correction, accurate stored and real time data is available. The information is accessible via Ethernet and RS485 ports and includes DNI, DHI, GHI, sunshine duration, kWh/m2, sun position, GPS time and system status.
RaZON+ offers a complete web interface with data, graphs and status information, which can also be checked on the spot with a smartphone, tablet or laptop via its integrated Wi-Fi connection.
