Apogee SP-722-SS: Modbus Digital Output Thermopile Albedometer

Apogee's new Modbus albedometer is a cost-effective solution for horizontal and plane of array performance monitoring of bifacial solar panels. Consisting of an Apogee Instruments SP-510 and SP-610 thermopile pyranometer, the SP-722-SS can be easily mounted to a mast or directly to a solar panel with one of the available mounting brackets.

The SP-722-SS is a thermopile albedometer with a digital signal using Modbus RTU protocol over RS-232 or RS-485. For mounting directly to a solar panel, we recommend using the AM-150 albedometer solar panel clamping bracket. To mount to a mast, use the AM-500 Net Radiometer mounting bracket or the AM-240 Rod based mounting fixture.

Albedo measurements indicate the broadband shortwave reflectivity of materials and are used to monitor bifacial solar panels, understand heat retention in urban and architectural settings, and study climate and weather. Typical applications for pyranometers include shortwave radiation measurement in agricultural, ecological, and hydrological weather networks.

The SP-722-SS includes an IP68 marine-grade stainless-steel cable connector to simplify sensor removal and replacement for maintenance and recalibration.