National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Solar Radiation Research

Data and Resources

NREL solar radiation research information is available from the following sources.

Measurement

Measurement and Instrumentation Data Center (MIDC)
Provides irradiance and meteorological data from stations throughout the United States.

Baseline Measurement System (BMS)
Provides live solar radiation data from approximately 70 instruments at the NREL South Table Mountain site and historical measurements dating to 1981.

Renewable Resource Data Center (RReDC)
Provides information about biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind energy resources.

Calibration

Broadband Outdoor Radiometer Calibrations (BORCAL)
Provides results from NREL's calibration of Department of Energy pyranometers and pyrheliometers.

Pyrheliometer Comparisons (NPC)
Provides reports and photos from past NREL pyrheliometer comparisons.