Ibrahim Reda

Document Type

Technical Report

Publication Date

3-2010

Publisher

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publisher Location

Golden, CO

First page number:

1

Last page number:

35

Abstract

This report includes a procedure for implementing an algorithm (described by Jean Meeus [1]) to calculate the Moon’s zenith angle with uncertainty of ±0.001° and azimuth angle with uncertainty of ±0.003°. The step-by-step format presented here simplifies the complicated steps Meeus describes to calculate the Moon’s position, and focuses on the Moon instead of the planets and stars. It also introduces some changes to accommodate for solar radiation applications. These include changing the direction of measuring azimuth angles from north and eastward instead of from south and eastward, and the direction of measuring the observer’s geographical longitude to be measured as positive eastward from Greenwich meridian instead of negative. In conjunction with the solar position algorithm that Reda and Andreas developed in 2004 [2], the angular distance between the Sun and the Moon is used to develop a method to instantaneously monitor the partial or total solar eclipse occurrence for solar energy applications and smart grid users. This method can be used in many other applications for observers of the Sun and the Moon positions for applications limited to the stated uncertainty.

Controlled Subject

Exergy; Solar energy; Solar eclipses; Solar radiation

Disciplines

Astrophysics and Astronomy | Oil, Gas, and Energy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1400 KB

Language

English

Comments

NREL Report No. :NREL/TP-3B0-47681

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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