Pyranometer

W/m²Irradiance reading

AC 220VTypical supply

RS485Uplink

IP67Enclosure

Plane irradiance, in W/m²

Built for weather and new-energy sites. The quantity is plane total irradiance, the kind of pyranometer reading used for global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and similar totals. The engineering unit is W/m². It is not a flow transmitter and not a temperature or humidity transmitter. The front end is a 24-bit Σ-Δ ADC and stays predictable across wide temperature, wide supply voltage, and electrical noise. The reading depends on cosine response, a temperature correction, and a clean dome, and it should be compared on a schedule with a transfer-standard radiometer so the series stays comparable. Terminals pull out, key chips have a watchdog and a redundant check, and firmware can be signature-checked and rolled back.

The default service port is USB-C, on a standard industrial connector, for SCADA, energy management, or an IoT platform. SimtoLink includes a southbound point-table template and northbound MQTT/HTTP examples so commissioning is shorter. Volume jobs can add case marking, a set harness length, a protocol map, and a calibration certificate.

How the irradiance reading holds

CCC test items are on the record. Ports have surge and reverse-polarity protection. Ground is zoned so a loop or common-mode noise is less likely to move the reading. Outdoor and coastal orders can take a higher ingress rating and a corrosion coating.

Parameters and thresholds load as a batch. Selected models store an event or a waveform. OTA carries settings and firmware. Accept the pyranometer with a power-on self-test, a time sync, and a sample of readings. For metering or safety, SimtoLink helps with a third-party metrology submission and the type-test file.

Hardware figures

Typical build, for selection and for a bid schedule. For a wider range, a redundant supply, or an intrinsically safe explosion-proof variant, ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation guide. Order codes can differ slightly; the nameplate and the papers in the box decide.

Item	Specification	Note
Measured quantity	Total solar radiation (plane irradiance)	Read in W/m²; not volume or mass flow, and not a temperature or humidity measurement
Irradiance span (typical)	0～2000 W/m²	Near a clear-sky beam peak; a wider span follows the order code
Spectrum (typical)	300～2800 nm	The usual band for a thermopile pyranometer; the hardware specification governs
Cosine response (typical)	＜±3 % (0～70° zenith angle)	Level it, and keep shade and odd reflections off the dome
Nonlinearity (typical)	±1 %	Full span; a high-accuracy grade follows the calibration certificate
Response time (typical)	＜18 s (95% step)	Thermopile inertia; also set by the filter and the output rate
Yearly stability (typical)	＜±2 %	Depends on a clean dome, the desiccant, and a calibration interval
Internal temperature (optional)	Body temperature for the sensitivity correction	Readable in a register; not an ambient temperature or humidity probe
Supply	AC 220 V / DC wide-range (by model)	Isolated option; the nameplate decides
Interface	RS485 Modbus RTU	Registers map irradiance in W/m²; can be redundant
Ingress	IP67	Outdoor; clean the dome to the stated routine
Power draw	<2 W	Typical; heated dew-clearing models draw more

Three places it is usually set

These are the three placements that come up when the return on an irradiance point is being judged.

PV plants and power forecasts

A pyranometer on the horizontal or on the array plane feeds W/m² into the forecast and the performance-ratio check. Once it shares a clock with the inverters and the weather station, irradiance and output can be compared.

Stations and a field comparison

As the station's total-radiation channel, or on a mobile comparison, daily exposure in MJ/m² and a minute series in W/m² meet operational quality control and a transfer-standard file.

Farm weather and irrigation

The reading drives evapotranspiration, a crop model, and shade. In a field the dome collects dirt and bird activity, so cleaning and a transfer calibration stay on the calendar.

Install, ground, and recheck

Confirm the supply window and polarity before power is applied. Measure the bus and the breaker if the feed is uncertain.
Shielded twisted pair, shield at one end, kept off long power-cable runs.
Read, write, and trip one threshold against the platform in the lab, then take the pyranometer outside.
Outdoors, let water leave and air move, look at the seal, and keep the lightning earth inside the local rule.
Every 6 months, sample the irradiance series and archive the log.

Order, documents, and support

SimtoLink supplies the hardware specification, the outline, a wiring table, and a sample project. Volume orders can include a sample review and a factory inspection. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers in the box.

How the reading is used

Total radiation is a shared input for a PV power forecast, for converting agricultural light to photosynthetically active radiation, and for a climate-resource assessment. The cases below differ in tilt, cleaning interval, and how the number is settled on the grid.

PV plants and the power forecast

On the array plane or the horizontal, the pyranometer feeds the ultra-short and day-ahead forecast and is checked against inverter output. When cloud shadows move fast, a higher sample rate and a tighter clock correct the generation curve through the jump and cut the deviation scored under the two detailed rules.

Farm weather and crop models

With a PAR probe or a spectral weight, the reading estimates photosynthetically active radiation and drives irrigation, fertilizer, and a growth-stage model. A field network has to keep droppings, pollen, and spray off the glass dome, with a monthly clean and a comparison against a transfer standard.

Buildings, shade, and energy

On a representative roof or façade, the pyranometer watches solar gain and the diffuse part, and it leads external shade, façade louvers, and air-conditioning feedforward. The accumulated history is what a green-building review and an energy-performance contract use to check the saving.

A backup for a reference station

As a backup channel at a primary station, or on a mobile calibration vehicle, it records raw voltage, internal temperature, and the temperature-correction coefficient. The metadata is what a long-series homogeneity check and a radiation transfer-chain file require.