Technical feasibility study of the measurement of albedo from different instruments

• Grant number: 09/17482-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: February 28, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: João Roberto Gomes de Faria
• Grantee: Erich Kazuo Shigue
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

When the solar radiation falls on a surface, the material reflects one part and absorbs another. The proportion of solar radiation reflected in relation to the incident is called albedo. This property varies due to several factors, such as color and surface roughness and incident angle and wavelength of radiation. The methods for measuring albedo usually involve expensive and sophisticated equipment, consisting of sensors that work with a wide range of wavelengths. This research has the aim of verifying whether it is possible to obtain values of albedo through alternative methods of measurement, using simple tools that work with bands of spectral sensitivity close to the band of visible radiation.