ITI SOLAR TECHNICIAN SUN SHINE RECORDER

A sunshine recorder is a device that measures how much sunlight a certain region or area is receiving at any given time. There are a couple of different types of recorder, often with slightly different specifications. The ways in which they work can be different, too, but the end result is usually about the same: namely, to get an accurate and dependable solar input reading. Most of these sorts of devices are more or less permanent. They may be technically portable, but in most cases they’re used to collect readings in the same place over a long period of time such that averages can be tabulated and comparisons made from month to month, year to year, and decade to decade. Researchers use this data for all sorts of things. Weather predictions and heat indexes are some of the most common applications, but solar output readings are also important to things like architectural efficiency and building considerations. The most accurate and dependable recorders tend to be quite bulky and are often very expensive, but smaller readers are increasingly becoming available for more casual users.