Dual-RC18 Soiling & Irradiance Measurement Kit:
The Dual-RC18 Soiling & Irradiance Measurement Kit is a device used to measure both the amount of sunlight that reaches a solar panel (irradiance) and the amount of dirt or other material that has accumulated on the surface of the panel (soiling). The kit includes a sensor that measures the amount of light that passes through a small portion of the panel, which can then be used to calculate the amount of soiling on the entire panel. The kit also includes a pyranometer, which is a sensor used to measure the amount of sunlight (or irradiance) that reaches the panel. The data collected by the sensors can be used to optimize the performance of a solar power system by helping to identify when and where cleaning is needed, and by allowing for adjustments to be made to the system’s tracking and orientation to maximize the amount of sunlight that reaches the panels.
Multipurpose dual RC18 PV reference cell kit—a simple and compact solution for measuring both soiling and irradiance. Your on-site personnel manually wash the labeled “clean” cell on a regular schedule. Use the clean cell for accurate irradiance measurement and compare the dirty cell to the clean one to calculate the soiling ratio.
Soiling Ratio Calculation
- Program your data logger to ratio the daily average dirty cell irradiance to the clean one
- Sample datalogger code available
Reference Cells
- Uses Atonometrics RC18 Series PV Reference Cells: crystalline silicon PV cells with an internal precision shunt resistor and RTD, temperature correction, temperature output, and digital control
- Digital (Modbus RS485) and analog (0-1.5 V, 0-10 V, 4-20 mA) output options
- See the RC18 datasheet and user manual.
Cables
- The included cable hub box allows powering and communicating using a single cable when using the Modbus RS485 option. For analog options, use two cables, one for each reference cell.
- Various cable length options are available.
Mechanical
- IP67-rated cast aluminium enclosures
- Aluminium mounting plate
Application and features of Dual-RC18 Soiling & Irradiance Measurement Kit:
Application |
Features |
---|---|
✅ Solar PV Plant ✅ Solar Research ✅ Weather Monitoring |
✅ Small, light, low-power, and easy to install. ✅ Easily adapt to fixed-tilt or tracker installations. ✅ Single connection cable for digital option. ✅ No on-site calibration needed and no calibration data to manage – internally calibrated to W/m2 |