Ground station sensors for weather and climate observation are listed below. The list is limited to station networks that that provide verification of wind and solar resource data.
WRMC Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)
The World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC) is the central archive of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). Radiation data is stored with surface and upper-air meteorological observations. Station metadata is also provided. BSRN is a project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX). The network detects changes in the Earth’s surface radiation field. The network is also used for satellite data-processing and quality control.
1. WRMC: Home Page
2. BSRN Station List
3. BSRN data management
4. BSRN file structure documentation
5. BSRN data quality flags
6. Direct FTP
NREL Solar Measurement and Instrumentation Center (MDIC)
NREL’s Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) has been collecting continuous measurements of basic solar radiation since 1981. The SRRL is located on South Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado, located at 6,000 ft (1,829 m) above sea level.
1. Home Page
2. Station List
NCDC/NREL/National Solar Radiation Database
The U.S. National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) has data from 1991 through 2010. The database tracks over 1,500 stations, providing hourly solar radiation data for global, direct, and diffuse components, as well as meteorological data from the NCDC’s Integrated Surface Database.
1. Home Page
2. User’s Manual
3. FTP Direct
NCDC/NWS Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS)
ASOS is a climatological network in the U.S. with more than 900 stations.
1. Home Page: NOAA
2. Home Page: NWS
3. User’s Guide
4. Station Map
5. Station Metadata
6. Direct FTP: 1 minute data
7. Direct FTP: 5 minute data
8. Direct FTP: hourly data
