ESTIMATION OF TOTAL SOLAR RADIATION INCIDENT ON AN INCLINED SURFACE OF A SOUTH-FACING GREENHOUSE ROOF

Solar radiation is the driving force for the surface energy balance in buildings such as greenhouses. Greenhouses are generally tilted towards the sun in order to maximize the solar irradiance on the surfaces. Precise computation of the solar radiation received on these surfaces assumes an important role in the energy simulation. It is practical to calculate the total solar irradiance on inclined surfaces based on the solar global and diffuse radiation intensities on horizontal surfaces. This study focused on estimating the total solar radiation incident on inclined greenhouse roof surfaces. In this work, a south-facing thermal box inclined at 26.5° from the horizontal was used for solar radiation measurements. Additionally, recorded solar radiation data were retrieved for the study location and used to develop an empirical correlation. The conversion factors for the beam, the diffuse and the reflected solar radiation components were essential in the prediction of the total solar radiation incident on the tilted surface. The measured solar radiation data were then compared with the simulated data. The model performance was assessed using both graphical and statistical methods. Overall, locally calibrated data led to a satisfactory improvement in estimation of the total solar radiation on an inclined surface