Solar Irradiance Measurements at Humboldt State University in Arcata

Encompassing solar radiation measurements from a monitoring station at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. It was collected through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support solar power generation planning. The station monitors global horizontal, direct normal, and diffuse horizontal irradiance.

Use Cases

• Model solar energy potential for Arcata, California using global horizontal irradiance data.
• Analyze the relationship between direct normal and diffuse horizontal irradiance components for solar panel efficiency studies.
• Calibrate or validate satellite-derived solar radiation estimates with ground-based pyranometer measurements from this station.

Strengths

• Data is collected through a partnership with the authoritative U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
• The dataset explicitly measures three distinct irradiance components: global horizontal, direct normal, and diffuse horizontal.
• The data was last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Limitations

• The dataset's temporal coverage and total number of data points (rows) are unknown.
• The specific measurement frequency, instrument calibration details, and data quality flags are not described.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single station in Arcata, California, which may not be representative of other regions.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Humboldt State University.

Collection Method

Collected by a ground-based solar radiation monitoring station using instrumentation such as pyranometers and radiometers.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-03-21.

Geography

Arcata, California, United States.