SunCalculator

SunCalculator

SunCalculator is a simulation tool for computing the angular and spectral distribution of direct and diffuse solar radiation for a given location, time period, and collector geometry. It is designed for applications that require direction-resolved irradiance data, such as ray-tracing simulations, optical system modelling, and photovoltaic performance analysis.

The software combines measured or modelled integral irradiance data with a pre-calculated SMARTS spectral database to generate angularly resolved radiation fields over the celestial hemisphere or in panel-based coordinate systems.

A detailed description of the underlying methodology and validation examples is provided in the reference below.

Download References

SunCalculator (Version 3.2)

New release 19/12/2025!

Manual (Version 2.0)

License Agreement

  M. Ernst, H. Holst, M. Winter, and P. P. Altermatt, “SUNCALCULATOR: A program to calculate the angular and spectral distribution of direct and diffuse solar radiation,” Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 157, 913–922 (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2016.08.008.

Fri Dec 19, 2025

SunCalculator Photon flux, integrated over all wavelengths and binned, as calculated empirically for 14 years of irradiance measurements in Hamelin, Germany. Clear sky global irradiance calculated for south-facing module tilted by 32° in module coordinates for Hamelin, Germany.
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