A simple model for computing diffuse solar radiation

In this paper a very simple model for predicting the daily diffuse solar radiation at any Italian location using as input few extensively measured meteorological parameters is proposed. In fact the daily diffuse radiation D, MJ.m−2.day−1, here is correlated with only the relative sunshine duration sS and the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month hn, degrees, by the following equation: D=7(sS−(sinhn)1.55 . The validity of this formula is verified using monthly mean daily data from four Italian stations displaced at various latitudes or altitudes or geographical situations (inland or coastal site). The test results show that the deviations between the measured and the computed val…

The reference frequency distributions of daily relative sunshine from different locations

Abstract In some applications the relative sunshine distribution curves are very usefull. The present work tends to provide the above frequency distributions for the Italian area, using the daily data of eleven stations. A preliminary compatibility test is applied in order to verify if a dependence on location exist and it is deduced that the area referring to the various locations is statistically compatible with a few exceptions. Therefore, it is possible to give generalized frequency distributions curves which can be considered reference curves for all Italian locations. The empirical distributions are also compared with the calculated ones by the method of Bendt et al. and a good agreem…

Monthly reference distribution of daily relative sunshine values

Abstract In this paper it is shown that for a given location the monthly distributions of the daily relative sunshine depend only, within statistical errors, on their monthly averages and are independent of the month of the year. Furthermore it is put in evidence that a reference distribution of the daily relative sunshine values for every month of the year can be found by the knowledge of the average deduced from data of some years.

A very simple model for computing global solar radiation

Abstract In this paper a very simple model for predicting the daily global solar radiation at any Italian location using as input of a few extensively measured meterological parameters is proposed. In fact the daily radiation G (MJ m−2) is here correlated only with the sunshine duration s (h) and the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month h n (degrees) by the following equation: G= Ks 0.5 (sin h n ) 1.15 where only one value of the factor K is used. The validity of this formula is verified fixing K = 7.8 and using the data from 34 Italian stations displaced at various latitudes, altitudes or geographical situations (inland or coastal site). The test results show that the deviatio…

Diffuse solar radiation statistics for Italy

Abstract In this paper diffuse radiation is correlated with usually measured or more easy computable quantities in order to have a larger number of data available for the various applications of solar energy. Here are used two types of correlation: (a) diffuse radiation as a function of global and extraterrestrial radiation; (b) diffuse radiation as a function of ralative sunshine and extraterrestrial radiation. On the basis of the above correlations, empirical equations have been proposed and their coefficients have been calculated by fitting the experimental data of three Italian stations. The degree of accuracy of the fit has been estimated by a coefficient introduced and called by us “r…

An atmospheric model for computing direct and diffuse solar radiation

Abstract This paper proposes an atmospheric model, which extends the computation of the direct radiation given by Cole's model to the cloudy sky and shows a method to calculate the diffuse radiation. Therefore the monthly average values of the global radiation incident on a horizontal surface at Palermo are computed by this method. These values are compared with the experimental data provided by the Istituto di Idraulica Agraria, Universita di Palermo and generally exhibit a mean deviation not more than 10 per cent. The deviations become lower than 8 per cent taking into account the effect of the underlying surface albedo. In order to better verify the validity of the proposed method, it sh…

A new model for estimating diffuse solar radiation in Italy from clearness index and minimum air mass

The aim of this study is: (a) to propose a new simple model for estimating the monthly mean daily diffuse radiation D, MJ m−2 day−1, using as input only the clearness index Kt and minimum air mass and (b) to develop a map of diffuse solar radiation incident on a horizontal surface in Italy. The correlation herein suggested is D = 5.6 Kt−0.55 (sin hn)1.58 where hn is the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month, in degrees, and Kt = G/H0; G and H0 are the monthly mean daily global and extraterrestrial solar radiation respectively. This equation is applied to Adrano, Palermo, Macerata and Genova stations, provided with measured data of global and diffuse radiation, and the relative c…

An atmospheric model applied to some actinometric stations of Sicily

Abstract In this paper the application of an atmospheric model proposed by S. Barbaro et al. in a previous work for computing the direct and diffuse solar radiation is extended to some actinometric stations in Sicily, namely Gela, Messina, Pantelleria, Trapani and Ustica. The comparison of the monthly average values of the global radiation computed by this method with the experimental data shows a good agreement, that confirms the encouraging results obtained for Palermo in the previous work. This further test of the validity of the proposed model allows this one may be used with good reliability to predict the radiation on locations lacking in actinometric instruments. Finally, the influen…

Validation of a very simple model for computing global solar radiation in the European, African, Asian and North American areas

Abstract In a previous paper Coppolino has proposed a very simple model for predicting the monthly mean daily global solar radiation G (MJm −2 day −1 ) at any Italian location using as input only the sunshine duration s (hours) and the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month h n (degrees). The correlation suggested is G = 7.8 s 0.5 (sin h n ) 1.15 . Herein the validity of this model is verified by extending its application to dat from 24 stations displaced at various latitudes, altitudes above sea level and geographical situations in the European, African, Asian and North American areas. Furthermore the validity of this model to fit the data of the tested stations is compared with…

Global solar radiation in Italy

Impact of COVID-19 on hand surgery in Italy: A comparison between the Northern and the Southern regions

The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency and elective hand surgery in four Italian regions that had either a high (Lombardy and Piemonte) or a low (Sicilia and Puglia) COVID-19 case load to discuss problems and to elaborate strategies to improve treatment pathways. A panel of hand surgeons from these different regions compared and discussed data from the centers they work in. The COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on both elective and emergency surgery in Italy, not only in highly affected regions but also – and paradoxically even at a higher extent – in regions with a low COVID-19 case load. A durable and flexible redesign of hand surge…

Applicability of a simple model for computing diffuse solar radiation to locations of the European, African, Asian and North American areas

Abstract It is tested if the correlation type D = K(s/S)−0.25 (sin hn)1.55, 0.2 ⩽ s/S ⩽ 0.9 previously proposed by Coppolino for Italian locations using K = 7.0, allows a reliable estimation of the monthly mean daily diffuse solar radiation D (MJ m−2 day−1), from only the monthly mean daily relative sunshine s/S and the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month hn (degrees) at locations of the European, African, Asian and North American areas. The test is performed at 14 stations in the above areas displaced at various latitudes L, elevations above sea level E and geographical situations, using K = 7.0 for the stations where 0.48 ⩽ (s/S)m, ⩽ 0.63, K = 8.5 for those where 0.40 ⩽ (s/S…

Correlation between relative sunshine and state of the sky

Abstract It is possible to construct a sunshine map referring to a large zone, lacking in a widespread network of recording stations, correlating the relative sunshine with the “state of the sky”, defined by the monthly mean number of the clear, mixed and overcast days, whose data are more largely available. In the correlation here proposed climatological and meteorological factors are introduced in order to express the helioclimatic characteristics of every location. The application to Italy, using the data of the period 1973–1977 provided by the 31 stations of ITAV, has suggested the classification of these stations in seven “helioclimatic groups” characterized by different values of the …