A suntracker at La Réunion Island for

monitoring surface solar radiation under

tropical maritime climate conditions:

towards a new BSRN site?

B. MOREL, P. JEANTY, A. HEINTZ, M. BESSAFI

C. BROUAT, Y. HOARAU, L. ODDOZ

14th BSRN Workshop, 26-29 April 2016, Canberra, Australia

A Research Unit of the University of Reunion Island

• Permanent Staff: 12,5 12 (Pr. + Ass. Pr.) + 2.5 (Admin. + Eng. + Tech. Ass.)

• Non Permanent Staff (2015): 32 18 (PhD Students) + 2 (Post-Doc) + 12 (Admin. + Eng. + Tech. Ass.)

Introduction

2

Introduction

3

60 km

Piton des Neiges

3070 m

Piton de La

Fournaise

2632 m

60

km

REUNION

MAURITIUS

GOB

DAA

COC

HAN

SYO

MADAGASCAR

Introduction

4

53%

12%

15%

18%

2%

Fossil fuel

Biomass

Hydropower

Solar PV

Wind power

Electricity distribution grid over Reunion

Energy mix

Smart management of solar energy

Topic 1 – Solar resource variability

Topic 2 – Energy conversion and storage

Topic 3 – Energy optimization

Introduction

WSN

radiative assessment fuel cell hybrid system

5

Introduction

6

Long-term

variations

RCM

(RegCM, WRF)

Hourly-to-

daily forecast

Cloudiness variability: SWIO

– Seasonal: fluctuations of

the location and intensity of

the ITCZ and the trade winds

7

Coppola et al. 2012

MH

Morel et al. 2014

Cloudiness variability: SWIO

– Seasonal: fluctuations of

the location and intensity of

the ITCZ and the trade winds

– Synoptic: tropical cyclone,

tropical temperate trough

8

Macron et al. 2014

Cloudiness variability: SWIO

– Seasonal: fluctuations of

the location and intensity of

the ITCZ and the trade winds

– Synoptic: tropical cyclone,

tropical temperate trough

– Intraseasonal: MJO

9

MJO animation from Adrian Matthews

Cloudiness variability: SWIO

– Seasonal: fluctuations of

the location and intensity of

the ITCZ and the trade winds

– Synoptic: tropical cyclone,

tropical temperate trough

– Intraseasonal: MJO

– Interannual: ENSO

10

Faucherau et al. 2009

Cloudiness variability: Reunion

– meteorology driven by a

combination of large/meso-

scale and local-scale

processes (land-sea

breezes, slope winds, …)

3 typical weather situations

1. dry trade-wind regime

http://www.meteofrance.re/climat/pedagogie/situations

11

Cloudiness variability: Reunion

– meteorology driven by a

combination of large/meso-

scale and local-scale

processes (land-sea

breezes, slope winds, …)

3 typical weather situations

1. dry trade-wind regime

2. humid trade-wind regime

http://www.meteofrance.re/climat/pedagogie/situations

12

Cloudiness variability: Reunion

– meteorology driven by a

combination of large/meso-

scale and local-scale

processes (land-sea

breezes, slope winds, …)

3 typical weather situations

1. dry trade-wind regime

2. humid trade-wind regime

3. convection over the

topography

http://www.meteofrance.re/climat/pedagogie/situations

13

Surface radiative fluxes observations

(a) Temperature

(b) Solar irradiation

(c) Precipitation

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GEBA and BSRN observation sites (Wild et al. 2013)

Météo France network

14

LE2P radiometric network

A typical station

Indoor c

alib

ratio

n

Ou

tdoor c

alib

ratio

n

9060/9846/9847/17025

Quality Control

Calibration

DWH

17

New BSRN site proposal

Airport

Campus

New BSRN site proposal

New BSRN site proposal

CM SAF annual mean irradiance (W/m2 from

hourly mean values) for 2009-2013

Very first measurements…

21

GH

I (W

/m2)

April 11, 2016

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617 181920212223240

200400600800

100012001400

CMP22

SPN1

MF

DH

I (W

/m2)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617 181920212223240

200400600800

100012001400

CMP22

SPN1

Time (hours)

DN

I (W

/m2)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617 181920212223240

200400600800

100012001400

CHP1

mean bias = –3.6%

mean bias = +5.2%

Conclusion and perspectives

• Proposed measurement site at (21°8S;55.5°E) in a

climatic zone not covered by existing operational

sites

• Proposed measurement site collocated with

routine upper-air soundings and basic

meteorological instrumentation (OPAR – Météo

France)

• Very first measurements performed that need to

be carried on; installation of CGR4

• Extension of the station? European Regional

Development Fund project BSRN@Reunion

23

RUN?

GOB

DAA

COC

HAN

SYO