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In this lesson, we have learned about the diverse ways in which the atmosphere can interact with shortwave light to affect the solar resource received at the ground by our Solar Energy Conversion Systems. We have observed that the sky has a distinct character derived from air mass source regions, and that the weather has seasonal "fingerprints" that distinguish a single site as multiple unique climate regimes. We further found that a "clear sky" is a fairly complex system of its own, and modeling the clear sky is not trivial. When we finally add clouds to the skies, we see where the real source of solar intermittency stems from. By connecting space and time from Taylor's Hypothesis, we find that we hold additional information on the scales of intermittency to expect in a given locale and for each seasonal climate regime in that same locale.
Reminder - Complete all of the Lesson 3 tasks!
You have reached the end of Lesson 3! Double-check the to-do list on the Lesson 3 Learning Outcomes page to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 4.