A comprehensive albedo model for solar energy applications: Geometric spectral albedo

Albedo is the measure of irradiation energy, which comes from reflecting surroundings. Location, time, geometry, and weather conditions influence the value of albedo. By altering any of the aforementioned parameters, even a little, the albedo value changes. This makes albedo challenging to model. Here we present a mathematical model to cluster all the influential parameters, which affect albedo. We show how complexity of albedo can be expressed as function of reflected spectrum of shadows geometry in a 3-dimensional environment. Performance of the suggested model is examined through real-time measurements and compared with other models. Absolute deviation between modelled and measured average diurnal albedos for a geometrically complex location containing several materials was less than 0.31%. The model also proves that the albedo of a surface is always lower than or equal to its reflectivity. The model can be applied in computer simulation to remotely calculate the value of albedo without the need of in-situ measurements. We show how the proposed model can be used in many fields of research related to climate science, computer graphics, geology, agriculture, solar energy and photovoltaics.