Solar Irradiance Instruments Many types of instruments are employed to measure incident solar radiation. The specifications for the instruments used in our solar monitoring network are documented below. In addition, each one has its advantages and limitations, and we briefly discuss the accuracy and systematic errors that characterize them. Discussions on trackers and on diffuse measurement techniques and methods of calculating diffuse radiation from global and beam irradiance data are also included. Specific instrument-related topics • Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer (PSP) • Eppley Normal Incidence Pyrheliometer (NIP) • Schenk Star Pyranometer • LI-COR Pyranometer • Ascension Technology Rotation Shadowband Pyranometer (RSP) • Yankee Environmental Systems Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFR-7) • Eppley Total Ultraviolet Radiometer (TUVR) • Eppley Solar Tracker • Kipp & Zonen 2AP tracker • Measuring diffuse radiation using a shade disk • Measuring diffuse radiation using a shadowband • Calculating diffuse radiation values © 2022, UO Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory. Last revised: March 31, 2022. Top of page Site map Solar data Instruments Publications Home page Search About our data Software tools Sponsors Contact us Monitoring stations Educational material Home page URL: solardata.uoregon.edu