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Solar radiation (Rev #6, changes)

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Solar output

The total solar output to space is 3.84 $\times$ 10²⁴ watts, but only a tiny fraction hits the Earth. At the top of the atmosphere, energy is received with a flux, or power density of 1366$\pm$2 W/m², a value known as the solar constant. About 7% is ultraviolet (wavelength 0.2-0.4 $\mu$m), 41% visible light (0.4-0.7 $\mu$ m) and 51% near-infra-red near-infrared ($\gt$0.7$\mu$m).

Because the radiation hits the Earth at an angle, and not at all at night, the average global power density is 342 W/m² at the top of the atmosphere. (This This is one quarter of 1366 W/m² , since the area of a sphere is four times the area of its circular shadow.) shadow.

Surface receipt of solar radiation

About 18% of the incoming energy is absorbed directly by ozone and water vapour. This almost entirely removes wavelengths shorter than 0.285 $\mu$m while those longer than 0.295 $\mu$m reach the ground. About 30% of incoming solar radiation is reflected directly back into space by the atmosphere, clouds, and the earth’s surface. The remaining 70% heats the surface (approximately 50% goes there) and atmosphere (approximately 20% goes there).

The earth’s surface receives 156 W/m² from the sun (as a global average) and emits 55 W/m² long-wave energy to the atmosphere. The atmosphere receives 84 W/m² and emits 185 W/m² to space. (The figures here are from Barry and Chorley, 2003. The account in Kiehl and Trenberth’s paper is more complicated.)

References

• R. G. Barry and R. J. Chorley, Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, Routledge, London, 2003.

• J. T. Kiehl and Kevin E. Trenberth, Earth’s annual global mean energy budget, Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 78 (1997), 197–208.

• K. E. Trenberth, J. T. Fasullo, and J. Kiehl, Earth’s global energy budget, Bull. Amer. Meeor. Meteor. Soc. 90 (2009), 311–323.

See also Insolation, which concentrates on calculating the daily average of power in the form of solar radiation hitting the top of the Earth’s atmosphere, as a function of latitude and time of year.

Also see Solar power for information on the amount of solar radiation available for solar power in various locations.