Analyzing Regional and Local Changes in Irradiance during the 2019 Total Solar Eclipse in Chile, Using Field Observations and Analytical Modeling

Armando Castillejo-Cuberos, José Miguel Cardemil and Rodrigo Escobar
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Armando Castillejo-Cuberos: Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 4860, Chile
José Miguel Cardemil: Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 4860, Chile
Rodrigo Escobar: Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 4860, Chile

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-23

Abstract: Solar eclipses are astronomic phenomena in which the Earth’s moon transits between the planet and the Sun, projecting a shadow onto the planet’s surface. As solar power installed capacity increases, detailed studies of this region-wide phenomenon’s effect in irradiance is of interest; however, the literature mainly reports its effects on localized scales. A measurement campaign spanning over 1400 km was pursued for the 2 July 2019 total solar eclipse in Chile, to register the event and establish a modeling framework to assess solar eclipse effects in irradiance over wide regional scales. This work describes the event and presents an estimation framework to decompose atmospheric and eclipse effects on irradiance. An analytical model was applied to study irradiance attenuation throughout the Chilean mainland territory, using satellite-derived and astronomical data as inputs compared to ground measurements in eight stations. Results showed good agreement between model and observations, with Mean Bias Errors of ?0.008 to 0.98 W/m 2 for Global Horizontal Irradiance and ?0.004 to ?4.664 W/m 2 for Direct Normal Irradiance, with Normalized Root Mean Squared Errors of 0.7–5.8% and 1.4–12.2%, respectively. Energy losses due to obscuration corresponded between 20–40% for Global Horizontal Irradiance and 25–50% for Direct Normal Irradiance over Chilean territory.

Keywords: solar eclipse; atmospheric modeling; irradiance attenuation; Linke turbidity; Chile (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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