Hi, I have a question on averaging hour solar radiation to daily

[ian_zhangty]

Dear all, 

 

I am now have some hour solar radiation data for each day: for example: 

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 144 285 419 478 483 447 362 223 88 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

This is one day's records, and each number means each hour, I have 24 records for each day (as 24 hours in each day). You can see in the early morning and late night, the radiation is 0 due to sunset. 

 

Now I want to know the daily average solar radiation. So should I calculate the arithmetic mean

with 0 or without zero? 

 

Personally, I think it might be the average without 0? But I cannot find any support from Internet. Appreciate to share your opinion with me. 

 

Thank you very much. 

 

Ian

[ohleary]

Dear all, 

 

I am now have some hour solar radiation data for each day: for example: 

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 144 285 419 478 483 447 362 223 88 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

This is one day's records, and each number means each hour, I have 24 records for each day (as 24 hours in each day). You can see in the early morning and late night, the radiation is 0 due to sunset. 

 

Now I want to know the daily average solar radiation. So should I calculate the arithmetic mean

with 0 or without zero? 

 

Personally, I think it might be the average without 0? But I cannot find any support from Internet. Appreciate to share your opinion with me. 

 

Thank you very much. 

 

Ian

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the 0's shouldn't matter if it's "daily average", meaning, on average how much solar radiation is received at a certain point each day.  If you want the hourly average, then the question comes in whether or not to consider the 0's. 

 

Get a total for each day, add them all together, then divide that total by number of days.  Daily average. 

 

Or am I missing something?