An algorithm for the computation of the solar position

A new algorithm for the determination of the solar position is proposed. The importance of tracking accurately the position of the sun is evident when considering high concentration thermal systems. In the literature are found many fast algorithms for the determination of the sun position within 0.01 degrees, and complex astronomical algorithms that allow a precision of 0.0003 degrees but at the price of a large amount of calculation. The algorithm proposed in this work has a precision that is half-way between the two cases (maximal error 0.0027 degrees), that should be sufficient for all the applications in solar engineering, with a computational cost comparable to the cost of the fast algorithms. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.