Explanation: Solar radiation instruments may be produced to measure different types of solar energy. When sunlight encounters the Earth's atmosphere, some of it is absorbed or scattered by water vapor, aerosols, clouds, and other air molecules. The radiation which penetrates to the Earth's surface is termed direct solar radiation.



A thermopile pyranometer is a type of actinometer used for measuring solar radiation on a planar surface and it is designed to measure the solar radiation flux density (W/m2) from the hemisphere above within a wavelength range 0.3 μm to 3 μm.