Global and Diffuse Horizontal Solar Radiation

Clima displays hourly Global and Diffuse Horizontal Solar Radiation values for a typical day for each month.

Example: Solar radiation graphs on typical monthly days for San Francisco, USA

Typical daily graphs showing the amount of energy gained from the sun have many uses, such as:

• design the building with a passive approach, to control solar gains and reduce energy consumption (allow solar gain during months of heating demand and block them during periods of cooling demand, see for reference the degree days);

• manage the direct solar gain through the glass, to evaluate solar shading devices (most useful in locations with high temperatures and a strong direct component);

• manage the indirect solar gain transfer into the building with a time shift, exploiting the thermal mass, heating thick walls or concrete floors, or designing special rooms adjacent to the main spaces that rely on convection to transfer the heat, such as sunroom or Trombe wall;

• evaluating sustainable renewable energy solutions such as solar thermal or photovoltaic panels.

The integral of the curves in the graphs is the total energy (in Wh/m²), supplied by the sun. Be careful in considering the different types of solar radiation.