Why is the Pyrgeometer from Kipp & Zonen so much better than those from the competition?
The CGR 4 differs from all other Pyrgeometers in that it allows accurate daytime measurements on sunny days without the need for a shading device. Due to the unique construction of the CGR 4, solar radiation of up to 1000 W/m² induces window heating of less than 4 W/m² in the overall calculated downward radiation. In the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) manual (WMO/TD-No.897) an extended formula is described. This formula corrects for window heating and so called “solar radiation leakage”. Due to the very low window heating offset and optimal spectral cut-on wavelength, these corrections are not necessaire for the CGR 4.
