On Reading Old Things is a great article by Jacquelyn Gill. All graduate students should read this article. At the beginning of this semester I assigned a reading by Gautier et al.(1980) and remember feeling a little embarrassed that the article, which is about satellite technology, was so old. Despite its age, however, the article is excellent and forms the basis of the satellite technology which we use to obtain the current hourly and daily solar radiation in the northern Caribbean. I could list other examples of old articles that are foundational and which should be read by anybody working in those fields. Gill mentions, and I have personally observed, that some journal reviewers sometime pressure authors to use recently published references and discourage older ones. Another practice that I have observed is that a journal will require that at least three references in the paper be from their journal. The reason for this of course is to jack up the rating of their journal, since they are rated on the number of times that their articles are cited. Anyhow, I highly recommend that you read On Reading Old Things.
From Gautier, C., G. R. Diak, and S. Masse, 1980: A simple physical model to estimate incident solar radiation at the surface from GOES satellite data. J. Appl. Meteor., 19, 1007–1012.
GOES Satellite
CROP WATER USE ( HARGREAVES ET EQUATION) WOLFRAM ALPHA WIDGET
CROP WATER USE ( HARGREAVES ET EQUATION) NEW WOLFRAM ALPHA WIDGET. Reference: Hargreaves, G. H. and Z. A. Samani, Reference Crop Evapotranspiration from Temperature. Appl. Eng. Agric., ASAE. 1(2). 1985,. pp.96-99.
Widget Application: Suppose you want to schedule irrigation by replacing the water evapotranspired by your crop each day. 1. Click on the appropriate link to get yesterdays solar radiation for your location: Puerto Rico or Northern Caribbean, 2. Check the internet for the average daily air temperature at your location (average = (minimum + maximum)/2), 3. Get the appropriate crop coefficient for your crop from this link, and 4. Finally, enter solar radiation, air temperature and crop coefficient into the widget to estimate ET. Multiply ET x acres x 1069.0663 to get the number of gallons of water you need to apply to your field.
CLIMATE IMPACT EQUITY LENS (CIEL) – CLIMATE CHANGE GETS PERSONAL
CLIMATE IMPACT EQUITY LENS (CIEL) – CLIMATE CHANGE GETS PERSONAL
Spanish Version
The Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL) is a new tool for comparing the net climate impacts felt by diverse individuals around the world, and for tracking individual impacts over time. CIEL demonstrates that climate change will affect each person differently.
At present, very little is being done to prevent dangerous climate change. Some people are already experiencing damages from changing temperatures and weather patterns, and from sea-level rise – but everyone is enjoying the “benefit” of not paying for more ambitious emission reductions. Looking only at today’s impacts, most – but not all – of us are net winners (saving more from inaction than we lose from climate damages). Over the course of this century, net losers will become more common; in the next century, it will be hard to find people who still benefit from inaction.
CIEL provides a graphic display of changes over time in each individual’s net economic impact from climate change. You can download several CIEL publications and a tool that allows you to input individual characteristics to estimate the personal impact of climate change.
The Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL) is a new tool for comparing the net climate impacts felt by diverse individuals around the world, and for tracking individual impacts over time. CIEL demonstrates that climate change will affect each person differently.
(Excerpted from CIEL website, 2011, Stockholm Environment Institute, 11 Curtis Avenue, Somerville, MA 02145, USA. Phone: 1(617) 627-3786. Email: CIEL@sei-us.org)
Yesterday’s Solar Radiation in the Northern Caribbean
pragwater.com is not just for Puerto Rico
Two weeks ago, pragwater.com started using a free online service called ClusterMaps. We were happy to learn that pragwater.com has received visits from people all over the world, 27 countries in all. Here is the breakdown:
What are People doing with the Northern Caribbean Solar Radiation Data – Unedited list (March-December 2011)
What are People doing with the Northern Caribbean Solar Radiation Data – Unedited list (March-December 2011).
1 “It is going to be used as part of International Cooperation Proyect to build a Hospital in Haiti, to justify the need to use solar led lights”
2 In a study on solar water treatment for Haiti
3 study
4 Photovoltaic cell design
5 personal education and use
6 Help understand the magnitude and variability of solar radiation in the Caribbean – internal research and development only
7 “We’re working with a group call MFK (Meds & Food for Kids), on a 20K SqFt food processing facility. Still early in the process, but we’re considering solar for some of their energy needs.”
8 solar project assessment
9 I need solar radiation data for Brookings SD for designing PV systems.
10 Hobby
11 research for cellular company
12 Para dimensionar instalaciones solares fotovoltaicas
13 for class porpuse
14 Personal use
15 Solar research
16 in our studies of plant photosynthesis in the coastal forest of Guánica
17 Project for University involving PV installations
18 Research
19 Reference information for a proyect.
20 “I am in the process of sizing a small a stand-alone system for the general location within Kingston, Jamaica and would like to use the daily average insolation for each month.”
21 “To correctly size a off-grid system for Kingston, Jamaica.”
22 SWAT input data
23 for solar parks
24 Potential for use in SWAT
25 moving to dominican republic… allergic to sun…
26 solar panels development
27 Energy analysis of the USVI
28 “research project for the Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame, identifying scale and scope of solar microgrids capabilities in the Caribbean.”
29 pv system design
30 Analysis to estimate systems performance for DR
31 Verify production estimate for Puerto Rico site
32 Design of low-cost housing in Haiti integrating appropriate solar technologies.
33 To compare ground measured solar resource to satellite and ground observation data.
34 To conduct a pre-screening of solar sites
35 Analysis for renewable energy planning
36 My personal installation on my roof top
37 solar power estimation
38 Research
39 design
40 Adding solar Electricity to my home in Negril Jamaica.
41 study opportunity for solar energy in Jamaica
42 Determining growing conditions for commercial tomatoes greenhouse production. Data is required to determining technical feasability .
43 I’m testing out a program that calculates vadose zone recharge.
44 To support the development of a solar power project in PR
45 solar system sizing
46 modeling for long term average for comparing on the ground data to this data for PV systems in Haiti
47 “I am looking into the flooding patterns of the Savane Jong outside of Gonaives, Haiti. It seems to flood mostly due to torrential rains from seasonal hurricanes late summer, but sometimes it floods as early as March. This is as much I understand from satellite imagery.”
48 To figure out a solar array
49 valutazioni fonti rinnovabili
50 Assess solar projects in the region.
51 Designing solar PV systems for Haitian Doctor’s clinic
52 STUDENT RESEARCH
53 Making Solar Panels
54 In support of an ongoing interagency study on coral reef health
55 to determine potential output for PV systems in Puerto Rico.
56 Calculate energy production from 5mW solarfarm
57 Internal research and development
58 knowledge to solar opportunties in this part of the world
59 planning a solar system for a business
60 We are help partners in health build a solar system for a hospital in Haiti
61 to determine the size of a thermal relief valve
62 Busco datos de insolacion solar en la Republica Dominicana por parte de un desarrollador de energia renovable
63 for project work i’m student
64 study for solar cooking in Haiti
65 Estimating for solar system production
66 renewable energy design
67 designing solar systems
68 I am the UNICEF regional advisor for immunisation cold chains and am assessing whether a particular solar refrigerator technology for vaccine storage is suitable for installation in Haiti
69 Have estimated potential ET in the past for several meteorological stations in south and interior parts of Puerto Rico. I’m also considering proposals to investigate changes in thermodynamic properties of some greenhouse gases in the tropics.
70 I am the UNICEF regional advisor for immunisation cold chains and am assessing whether a particular solar refrigerator technology for vaccine storage is suitable for installation in Haiti
71 solar project evaluation
72 I am completing a small scale renewable energy project that I started in the Dominican Republic. I am using the data to calculate the payback time for a solar panel that I installed.
73 Future meteorologist studying weather patterns.
74 As climate information in ArcSWAT for Jamaica
75 RFP Solar Bid for USVI
76 acadamic
77 inform a project proposal for a mini electricity grid in northern haiti
78 To analyze a package of meteorological data.
79 This data is required to help us determine the cost effectiveness of building 10 MW solar-battery farms in this region of the developing world.
80 Estimation of solar power available in Haiti
81 Research
82 “We are looking for new business opportunities in South America, we are specialized in on and off-grid installations, we have some clients and need the solar radiations as to be able to make exact calculations for on grid ROI or Off-grid amount of modules, batteries, etc. we usually work with PVGIS but its not available in this program.”
83 Class discussions
84 Urban heat island modelling
85 Research
86 For a senior project design about solar panels array
87 research
88 photovoltaic apps
89 Help customers to better understand solar energy solutions.
90 solar radaition study for nepal…how the solar radiation will help the to reduce 12hrs load shedding per day in nepal
91 for class project
92 Potential solar project in Haiti.
93 To determine the feasability and power availability for solar arrays in the country of Haiti.
94 Evaluation solar plant in Haiti
95 For information purpose.
96 Investigate solar potential in Haiti
97 Evaluate the solar resource available in Puerto Rico
98 to select potentialsite for PV projects.
99 homework
100 We are planing on solar plant developments.
101 Para mi tesis de grado.
102 For production modelling of PV systems.
103 considering a solar project on a farm on the south coast to bolster income from livestock.
104 Preliminary investigation of solar potential in Puerto Rico for photovoltaic power plants.
WHAT’S NEW ON PRAGWATER??
GOES-Puerto Rico Water and Energy Balance (GOES-PRWEB) 2010 Results. UPDATED WITH MORE IMAGES.
GOES-Puerto Rico Water and Energy Balance (GOES-PRWEB) 2010 results: http://wp.me/P1s0De-9j
The page now includes many more images for 2010. In addition to the water balance components, the following images are provided:
Transient Variables/Parameters
Air temperature, minimum air temperature, maximum air temperature, effective surface temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, saturated vapor pressure, actual vapor pressure, solar radiation, aerodynamic resistance (Ra), surface resistance (Rs), soil moisture, crop coefficient (Kc), crop stress factor (Ks), net radiation, latent heat flux and sensible heat flux.
Non-transient Parameters:
Surface elevation, Percent sand, silt and clay, field capacity, wilting point, land use/land cover, zero plane displacement and surface roughness, and albedo.
What are people doing with our Caribbean solar radiation data?
When asked “How are you planning to use the solar radiation data?”, here are some of the answers:
“It is going to be used as part of International Cooperation Project to build a Hospital in Haiti, to justify the need to use solar LED lights”
“In a study on solar water treatment for Haiti”
“Photovoltaic cell design”
“Help understand the magnitude and variability of solar radiation in the Caribbean”
“We’re working….on a 20K SqFt food processing facility. Still early in the process, but we’re considering solar for some of their energy needs.”
“Research for cellular company”
“Para dimensionar instalaciones solares fotovoltaicas”
“In our studies of plant photosynthesis in the coastal forest of Guánica”
“I am in the process of sizing a small stand-alone system for the general location within Kingston, Jamaica and would like to use the daily average insolation for each month.”
“To correctly size a off-grid system for Kingston, Jamaica.”
“SWAT input data”
“For solar parks”
I am very happy to see the public is finding this data useful. My thanks again to Dr. John Mecikalsk for extending the GDM GOES-based solar radiation model to include Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba.
Solar Radiation now available for Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti
Estimated solar radiation from satellite remote sensing is now available for download at https://pragwater.wordpress.com/solar-radiation-data-for-pr-dr-and-haiti/. The half-hourly and daily integrated solar radiation data is provided at a 1-km spatial resolution for PR and a 2-km spatial resolution for DR and Haiti.
PRAGWATER 
