Solar irradiance reference spectra

It is well known that the spectral distribution and irradiance of the solar radiation at the Earth s surface depend on the location and is subjected to seasonal and diurnal variations. Therefore, a reference spectrum is needed as a basis for comparison with the spectral energy distribution of artificial light sources. Data from CIE No. 15 1971 (colorimetry official recommendations of the International Commission on Illumination) that recommend a standard illuminant D65 with a scheduled color temperature of approximately 6500 K have been used as a basis over the years. 

Radiometric quantities are important to describe and measure UV and VUV radiation. They are usually subdivided into energetic, spectral and photonic terms. Energetic terms (Tab. 3-9) are based on the energy of the radiation and they refer to all relevant wavelengths. Eor each of these terms a spectral derivative can be defined (Bolton, 1999) which is correlated with a specific wavelength X. Eor example, the extraterrestrial solar spectrum incident on the upper atmosphere is represented by the mean spectral irradiance Eq in W m nm over a defined wavelength interval AX in nm (CIE, 1989). Further, each of the spectral units can easily be transferred to photon-based units, which themselves are related to radio-metric units (cf Braun et al., 1991). 

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