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The SI unit of irradiance is watts per square metre (W/m 2 = Wm −2). The unit of insolation often used in the solar power industry is kilowatt hours per square metre (kWh/m 2). [12] The Langley is an alternative unit of insolation. One Langley is one thermochemical calorie per square centimetre or 41,840 J/m 2. [13]
If the extraterrestrial solar radiation is 1,367 watts per square meter (the value when the Earth–Sun distance is 1 astronomical unit), then the direct sunlight at Earth's surface when the Sun is at the zenith is about 1,050 W/m 2, but the total amount (direct and indirect from the atmosphere) hitting the ground is around 1,120 W/m 2. [6]
The solar constant includes radiation over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It is measured by satellite as being 1.361 kilo watts per square meter (kW/m 2) at solar minimum (the time in the 11-year solar cycle when the number of sunspots is minimal) and approximately 0.1% greater (roughly 1.362 kW/m 2) at solar maximum.
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) designates the spectral range (wave band) of solar radiation from 400 to 700 nanometers that photosynthetic organisms are able to use in the process of photosynthesis. This spectral region corresponds more or less with the range of light visible to the human eye. Photons at shorter wavelengths tend to ...
Earth's energy imbalance (EEI) Earth's energy budget (in W/m 2) determines the climate. It is the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation and can be measured by satellites. The Earth's energy imbalance is the "net absorbed" energy amount and grew from +0.6 W/m 2 (2009 est. [ 8 ]) to above +1.0 W/m 2 in 2019.
Above about 10,000 lux or ~100 watts/square meter the rate no longer increases. Thus, most plants can only use ~10% of full mid-day sunlight intensity. [6] This dramatically reduces average achieved photosynthetic efficiency in fields compared to peak laboratory results.
The solar constant is the amount of power that the Sun deposits per unit area that is directly exposed to sunlight. The solar constant is equal to approximately 1,368 W/m 2 (watts per square meter) at a distance of one astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun (that is, at or near Earth's orbit). [99]
This result is in pascals, equivalent to N/m 2 (newtons per square meter). For a sheet at an angle α to the Sun, the effective area A of a sheet is reduced by a geometrical factor resulting in a force in the direction of the sunlight of: = ().