The EKO sun-tracker, model STR-22G, was selected for its reliability and durability by the JMA Antarctic Observation project in 2004. Two sun-trackers are permanently deployed under extreme weather condtions at the Showa Station in Antarctic region ever since. We asked Mr. Mori from the Office of Antarctic Observation at the Japan Meteorological Agency how the sun tracker performed under the most extreme weather conditions.

Mr. Mori explained how they are very satisfied with the two EKO sun-tracker systems which are deployed on-site. One of the great advantages of STR-22 is its reliabity and durability. The compact sun-tracker is very rugged and greatly performs under severe temperatures. Mr. Mori reported that one sun-trackers is used for Direct Normal Irradiance and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance measurement, and a second unit serves for Long Wave Radiation and Atmospheric Turbidity measurements.

Even though the EKO sun-trackers don't require any regular maintenance, the trackers for the Antarctic project were serviced on a routine basis. The research site is very remote which makes the logistics more difficult. To ensure a year-round operation with zero down-time, there is one extra unit on-site for incidental back-up. A fourth sun-tracker is kept a the EKO service center in Tokyo for a periodic maintenance check. There are a total of 4 units of Sun trackers used in Antarctica observation project. EKO Instruments performs a periodic maintenance check by exchange of one unit every year. The harmonic gears inside the STR-22G have proven to be most durable and smooth running after 14 years.

EKO is committed to develop the best, most stable and reliable products to be deployed under harsh weather conditions. This way EKO could contribute to Antarctic observation project and we like to specially thank Mr. Mori and the people of the Antarctic observation station for their valuable feedback and good partnership.

(Photo provided by Office of Antarctic Observation, Japan Meteorological Agency)

EKO signed up to sponsor the Solar boat team from the University of Antwerp with a MS-80. The ISO 9060: class A pyranometer with fast response and spectrally flat offered is the perfect solution for the team to monitor the performance of the Solar boat. 

The Solar boat built by the team from the university is completely self-powered by the pv panels that cover the entire surface of the boat. It has already participated to races since 2015 and the team plans to participate to 2 other races this year. Those will be the Eco Race Challenge and the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge.

Many challenges await the solar boat team in 2019. The team has the goal to upgrade their boat to the next level and ensure that it can go to a speed of 30km per hours. 

We wish the Solar boat team to beat their own record and to excel in the next races!

Please check their newsletter for more information.

New and innovative techniques are required to gain more knowledge of the ever-changing atmospheric conditions and the effect this has on the environment. Current methods of measuring solar irradiation in the vertical profile of the atmosphere still have limitations and issues concerning measurement uncertainty.

UAV is one of the new methods commonly used in observational studies due to their maneuverability, size, and versatility. The purpose of this study is to construct the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), based on a quadcopter which includes sensors to measure radiation, temperature, humidity, and pressure to gain a better insight to the vertical structure of the atmosphere and to improve the predictability of weather and climate models further.

Dr. Sheng-Hsiang Wang (Associate Professor of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Central University) an his colleagues in Taiwan have installed the MS-80U and ML-01 on their UAV to measure upward and downward radiation.

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Abstract — In this paper, we explore a rotating shadow band (RSB) configuration for the EKO MS-711 spectroradiometer to measure the global, diffuse and direct components of spectral irradiance. An RSB configuration allows lowering the costs associated with the instrumentation and maintenance required to measure the components of spectral irradiance. Since only one spectroradiometer is used for the measurement of the spectral irradiance components, discrepancies associated to sensor calibration can be minimized. This work presents a study to validate the EKO RSB spectroradiometer accuracy in measuring the direct normal irradiance (DNI). A comparison is made between the measurements performed with the RSB spectroradiometer and a collimated spectroradiometer in Mauna Loa Observatory. The results of the comparison show an agreement within 2% to 5% between the DNI estimated by the RSB and collimation configurations for solar zenith angles smaller than 70°. Larger deviations approximated to 10% are found for larger angles of incidence.

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EKO has teamed up with RainWise to provide the first multi-functional component-based professional weather station, explicitly designed for monitoring PV efficiency, the PVmet 500.

In compliance with IEC-61724-1, the PVmet 500 is a cost-effective, durable weather station capable of measuring wind speed & direction, ambient temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, photovoltaic panel temperature and irradiance in real-time, transmitting sensor measurements to a data logger or data center.

The PVmet-500 is ideal for monitoring the efficiency and performance of a PV plant. Data from the PVmet 500 can be used to obtain vital information concerning the operation of a PV plant and insights on where improvements can be made to increase the PV plant output.

Read the full article published in the PES magazine / September 2018