[BLDG-SIM] Fraction of Possible Sunshine

Chip Barnaby cbarnaby at wrightsoft.com
Wed Sep 26 07:12:42 PDT 2001


Jon --

I don't know of a source for a map, but I do have a question ... what do 
you want it for?

I am trying to learn how people use this statistic.  It has been 
traditionally observed, so people keep observing it.  I am involved in work 
on ASHRAE TC 4.2 (Weather Information) that is developing methods for 
extracting solar radiation from weather data measured by ASOS (Automated 
Surface Observation System) now used to observe weather at most sites in 
the US.  ASOS has planned to add sunshine meters to their machines (that 
plan is now delayed due to funding), but it would be just about as easy, 
and much more useful (in our opinion) to measure solar radiation.  Sunshine 
fraction is a notoriously bad predictor of solar radiation (the 
correlations are pretty poor).  With trivial data processing, 
minute-by-minute solar radiation data can be used to estimate sunshine, but 
not vice-versa.

Thus as far as I know the solar and building simulation community has no 
use for sunshine data -- the statistic should be declared obsolete from our 
point of view.  However, at every opportunity, I try to find why people 
want it, there may be some other uses that we don't know about.

So, if you're willing, please let me know what you're up to.

To the rest of BLDG-SIM: anyone else know of uses for sunshine fraction?

Thanks, Chip Barnaby

>Does anyone out there have or know of a source for a graphical 
>illustration of Fraction of Possible Sunshine over the U.S.  I found a 
>very good table of such data at 
><http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ftp/ndp021/>http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ftp/ndp021/ 
>(file #12), but haven't had any luck with a map.  Thanks in advance.
>
>Jon Maxwell, PE
>Aspen Systems Corp.
><mailto:jmaxwell at aspensys.com>jmaxwell at aspensys.com
>
>
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---------------------------------------------------------
Chip Barnaby                   cbarnaby at wrightsoft.com
Vice President of Research
Wrightsoft Corp.               781-862-8719 x118 voice
394 Lowell St, Suite 12        781-861-2058 fax
Lexington, MA 02420            www.wrightsoft.com
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