Solenergi: FENG2021/FENT2021/FENA2021

Lecture 4: Solar angles

Shiplu Sarker, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Dept. of manufacturing and Civil Engineering
NTNU, Gjøvik.
Email: shiplu.sarker@ntnu.no
Lecture aim
▪ Understand and detect solar angles relevant to PV system design.
Sun-earth relationship
✓ The sun’s total energy output is 3.85 x 1020 MW, which is equal to 63 MW/m2 of the
sun’s surface. The earth receives 1.7 x 1014 kW.
✓ 84 min of solar radiation falling on earth is equal to the world energy demand for
one year (about 900 EJ). Or, 18 days of sunshine gives equivalent amount of energy
stored in all fossil fuels in the Earth.

Analemma
Sun’s path
Link for sun’s position
Summer solistice algorithm and 3-D view:
https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdr
om/properties-of-sunlight/suns-
position-to-high-accuracy
http://andrewmarsh.com/softwa
re/sunpath3d-web/

Equinox

Winter solistice
Local solar time vs. Apparent solar time
▪ Equation of time (ET): ✓ Local solar time (LST) is based on the time at
which the sun crosses the meridian at local noon.
✓ Apparent standard time (AST) is based on the
apparent angular motion of the sun.
▪ Longitude correction:
✓ Longitude correction is performed using the
following equation:

✓ The sign for the longitude correction of the above

equation is – ve for location at the east to
Greenwich.
 δ = -23.45°

Solar angles
δ = 0°
▪ Declination angle (δ):

✓ It is the angle between the universe axis δ = 0°

and the earth axis, defined as δ. δ = +23.45°
✓ It varies between +23.5° to -23.5°
throughout the year.
δ = +23.5° Largest solar hours Largest output power

δ = -23.5° Lowest solar hours Lowest output power

✓ The mathematical expression

for the declination angle is:
360
δ = 23.45 sin[ 284+N ] Day of an year
365
Solar angles
▪ Declination angle (δ):

✓ What is the declination angle at

Februray 10?

360
δ = 23.45 sin[ 284+41 ]
365
= -14.9°
Latitude and Longitude
▪ Latitude: is a geographic coordinate that specifies
the north-south position of a point on a earth’s
surface. It ranges from 0° at the equator to 90° at
the poles.
✓ If you are near the north pole or the south
pole, your latitude is nearly 90°.

▪ Longitude: is a geographic coordinate that specifies

the east-west position of a point on a earth’s
surface. It ranges between 0° in the prime meridian
to +180° eastward and -180° westward.
✓ Places to the East of Greenwich have longitude
angles up to 180° East.
✓ Places to the West of Greenwich have longitude
angles up to 180° West.
Solar angles
▪ Hour angle (h):

✓ The hour angle, h, of a point on the earth’s

surface is defined as the angle through which
the earth would turn to bring the meridian of
the point directly under the sun.

h = ±0.25 × (Number of minutes from

local solar noon)
✓ The hour angle can also be obtained from
the AST.
h = AST −12 × 15

Find the equation for LST at local solar noon for Gjøvik, Norway.
Solar angles
▪ Altitude/elevation/inclination angle (α)
Sun’s ray
✓ The angle between the sun’s ray and its
projection on a horizontal surface is N
known as the altitude angle (α).
W α
E
Varies between 0 and 90°, and α = B A
0° at sunrise and sunset.
S Horizontal projection of sun’s ray
✓ The mathematical expression
for the solar altitude angle is:
https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-
sunlight/elevation-angle
sin α =cos Ф =sin L sin δ +cos L cos δ cos(h)
Day length
✓ The sun is said to rise and set when the solar altitude angle is 0. So, the hour angle at
sunset, hss, can be found by solving the altitude equation at the last slide for h when α =
0°. This gives:
sin α =sin 0 =0=sin L sin δ +cos L cos δ cos(hss)
sin L sin(δ)
cos hss =− =−tan(L)tan(δ)
cos L cos(δ)
✓ Since the hour angle at local solar noon is 0°, with each 15° of longitude equivalent to 1
h, the sunrise and sunset time in hours from local solar noon is then:
hss =−hsr =1/15cos−1 [−tan L tan δ ]

✓ The day length is twice the sunset hour, since the solar noon is at the middle of the
sunrise and sunset hours. Therefore, the length of the day in hours is:
Day length=2/15cos−1 [−tan L tan δ ]

Example: Find the solar altitude and azimuth angles at 2 h after local noon on June 16
for a city located at 40°N latitude. Also, find the sunrise and sunset hours and the day
length.
Solar angles
▪ Zenith angle (Ф)
Normal to horizontal plane
✓ The angle between the sun’s ray and
the perpendicular (normal) to Sun’s ray
horizontal plane is known as the
zenith angle (Ф). N
Ф
✓ Zenith angle is complement of
α
altitude angle, thus: W E
B A
α + Ф = 90°
Hence, at sunrise zenith angle is
S
+90°, whereas it is -90° at sunset.
Horizontal projection of sun’s ray
Solar angles
▪ Azimuth angle (z) Normal to horizontal plane

✓ The angle on a horizontal plane, between the Sun’s ray

line due south and the projection of sun’s ray Ф

on the horizontal plane is known as solar N

azimuth angle (z). α

W
✓ It is considered as positive when it is A
E
B z
measured from south towards west.
✓ The mathematical expression for S
the solar azimuth angle is: Horizontal projection of sun’s ray
cos(δ)sin(h)
sin(z)= https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight/azimuth-angle
cos(α)
✓ At solar noon the sun is exactly on the meridian, making z = 0. hence, noon altitude is:
α𝑛 =90° − 𝐿 + δ
Solar angles
▪ Tilt angle or slope (β) Normal to Normal to
inclined surface horizontal surface
θ
✓ It is an angle between the inclined
N
surface and the horizontal plane. Sun’s ray Фz
✓ For solar panel tilt, β is designed
E
using the expression: β = 90°-α
α
▪ Angle of incidence (θ)
β
✓ It is an angle between sun’s ray
incident on plane surface and W zs
normal to that surface.
z S

Recommended reading: page 63 of your textbook

 Solar angles
▪ Incidence angle (θ)

✓ The mathematical expression for the solar incidence

angle is:
cos θ =sin L sin δ cos β −
cos L sin δ sin β cos Zs +cos L cos δ cos(h)cos β +
sin L cos δ sin β cos(h)cos Zs + cos δ sin(h) sin β sin Zs
✓ For horizontal surface, β = 0°; so, Zenith angle, Ф =
Angle of incidence θ. Then:
sin α =cos Ф =sin L sin δ +cos L cos δ cos(h)
✓ For vertical surface, β = 90°. Then:
cos θ =− cos L sin δ cos Zs + sin L cos δ cos(h)cos Zs + cos δ sin(h)sin Zs
✓ For a south-facing tilted surface in the Northern Hemisphere, Zs = 0°. Then:
cos θ =sin L−β sin δ + cos L−β cos δ cos(h)
✓ For a north-facing tilted surface in the Southern Hemisphere, Zs = 180°. Then:
cos θ =sin L+β sin δ + cos L+β cos δ cos(h)
Recap questions
➢ What is analemma?
➢ How do you differentiate LST and AST?
➢ Why equation of time correction is needed?
➢ How declination angle is related with the earth’s polar axis with respect to sun?
➢ Specify the mathematical relationship between altitude and tilt. Are they related to
declination also?
➢ State the mathematical relationship between altitude, declination and latitude.