Download Solar data:

To download data, choose from one of the following data file options. The various file options offer different perspectives into the data set, with each file option aggregating the data in various ways.

Summary files:

The summary files are intended for users that want an overview of the data set.

• Cumulative Summary: A general summary of one particular type of measurement covering the entire period of record for that station.
  More details. Each cumulative summary file contains a specific type of data averaged in two different ways.
  
  The first section of the file contains the average hourly data for each month of the year for the entire period of record. For example: The average of all GHI data that occured at a particular station between 10:00 and 11:00 in Januaray for all years. This would be presented as the average GHI in January at 11:00
  
  The second section contains monthly averaged daily energy values for each month for each year. For example: One data point in this section may contain the monthly averaged daily GHI value for Janurary in 2018. Where only data from January 2018 data was considered.
  
  Each cummulative summary file only contains one type of measurment.
• Daily Total Energy:: The daily total energy for the measurements made over a single year for a given station.
  More details. The daily total energy files give daily information on an entire station for a single year. These files allow the user to see how the conditions change from day to day over an entire year.
  
  Solar radiation measurements are reported as the daily total energy. Meteorological measurments, such as temperature or relative humidity, are reported as average values.
  
  Each file covers one year of data. The daily total files do not contain any information about time of day.
• Monthly Averages: Average irradiance at a particular time of day over the month.
  More details. Monthly average files contain the average irradiance at a particular time of day over the month. The data is divided into small time interval subdivisions and the data from each instrument is averaged at that time. The monthly files give information for the entire station. These files give a good overview of how the irradiance changes throughout the day for the different months of the year.
  
  The monthly files do not contain any information about the day of the month.
• Typical Metrological Year (TMY2): Irradiance values for a typical metrological year.
  More details. The TMY data files are one years worth of values that represent the typical solar radiation and meteorological conditions as determined from the 30 year database. The TMY model comes from the NSRDB which contains 239 sites.
• Single type of data A single type of measurment for a station. Presented in a format that makes it easy to compare by the hour and day.
  More details. Single type of data files present data in a tabular format that facilitates computation of daily totals and hourly average values. For example: The time of day is the horizontal axis of the file, the day of the month is the vertical axis of the file.
  
  Each of these files only contains one type of data.

Non-Summary files (Short time interval):

Short time interval files are monthly files for all the instruments located at a station. The time interval of these files is from 1 to 60 minutes, depending on the station and the year. These files are the complete data set for each station.

• Short time interval (Comprehensive format): Short time interval data for an entire station in one month blocks in the comprehensive format.
  More details. The comprehensive format reports the complete record of the data set and is intended to be user friendly. The comprehensive format provides the user with a lot more information than was previously availble, all in one file structure.
  
  Each file contains three main sections, The first section is a header section with detailed information about the site location, instruments used, calibration values utilized, and uncertainties in the calibration values. The second region of the file contains daily metadata for the instruments, including average daily values and nighttime offset values.
  
  The third region contains the short-term data values. Each data value has an associated flag that describes the status of the data. In the third region, multiple variations of the time stamps are used to facilitate the ease of use of the data. Also included are the solar position and the extraterestrial radiation values.
• Short time interval (Original format): Short time interval data for an entire station in one month blocks. This is the original format that the files were in.
  More details. These files contain short time interval data and the associated flags. This is the file format that the SRML has been using for many years.
  
  The first line is a header that contains the monitoring station ID code, the year in which the data were obtained, and a series of element numbers that describe the type of data in each column.
  
  Data begins on the second line. Date and time information are presented along with the short time interval data set.
  
  The SRML began collecting solar data in the late 1970s. At that time, computer files had various restrictions. To overcome these restrictions and publish files to the public, the SRML implemented the file structure presented here. The file structure contains all the necessary information but is not intuitive or user friendly. This was the motivation to update the file structure to the comprehensive format. First time users are encouraged to look at the comprehensive format.

Spectral data:

The SRML collects spectral data at our Eugene Monitoring stations. The spectral files are do not have quality control flags.

• Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFR-7): Eugene Station MFR data. One month blocks.
  More details. The MFR files contain short time interval global, diffuse, and direct normal data at six specified wavelengths.
  
  The Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFR) instrument performs the following operations every minute. First a GHI measurement is made. Then a DHI measurment is made through the use of a rotating shadowband. The DNI value is obtained from the GHI, DHI, and the solar zenith angle. The MFR performs each of these operations at six specified wavelengths (414.8, 501.7, 616.1, 674.1, 871.5, 941.4 nm).
  
  In addition, the MFR makes a broadband measurment of GHI, DHI, and DNI.
• Spectral data: Eugene, Oregon and Lindenberg, Germany spectral data. One month blocks.
  More details. Two sets of spectral files are availble. These files are for Eugene, Oregon and Lindenberg, Germany. The structure of the files is similar to the structure of the comprehensive format.
  
  The Eugene spectral files are GHI measurments over the wavelength range 350 - 1050 nm in approximatly 3 nm intervals. Data is taken every minute. Data collection began in 2015 and continues through present.
  
  The Lindenberg spectral files are DNI measurments over the wavelenght range 300 - 1020 in approximatly 0.7 nm intervals. Data is taken every several minutes. Data collection began in 2014 and ended in 2018.

Other Resources

• Solar radiation basics: For basic information on the terminology used in solar radiation monitoring.
• Irradiance maps: To gain an appreciation for the amount of solar radiation available in the Pacific Northwest and to see at a glance the seasonal variation in this resource.
• Data plotting program: Graphically depicts selected data, allowing you to see at a glance how irradiance values vary over the day.
• Pacific Northwest Solar Radiation Data Book: General information about solar radiation monitoring, includuing modeling and correlations between of the various components of the solar resource. resource