Passion for Precisionin the measurement of Solar Radiation and Atmospheric Properties

Our story begins when the Dutch pharmacist Petrus Jacobus

Kipp buys a pharmacy shop in the old centre of Delft, the

Netherlands. Shortly after that he starts an instrument

business and becomes an important adviser to the Royal

Academy (now the Delft University of Technology).

Since 1830

In 1844 he designs a new constant-flow gas

generator, which is successfully used all over the

world. This “Kipp Generator” is still an icon in the

world of Chemistry and remains part of our company

logo today. In 1866 his two sons continue the

business under the name Kipp & Zonen (‘Sons’).

By 1927 the extensive catalogue of scientifi c

instruments included laboratory glassware,

galvanometers, electronic chart recorders,

analytical instruments, telephones, and the

first ‘Solarimeters’. The company grew

steadily over the next decades and changed ownership

several times, but by 2004 Kipp & Zonen was back in private

ownership and in 2006 moved to new facilities at the Delft

technology park.

Kipp & ZonenToday, Kipp & Zonen focuses on designing, manufacturing,

and marketing, class-leading, high quality instruments for

the measurement of solar radiation and atmospheric

properties. To support our customers worldwide we

have sales offices in France, Singapore and the USA,

and a network of exclusive distributors in more than 40

countries.

Ready for the future

Over the last century the Earth’s climate has changed

significantly, on both global and regional scales and continues

to do so. Climate change is a major threat to eco-systems, food

production, water resources and to our way of life.

Precise long-term measurements of the radiation budget and

atmospheric properties are fundamental to under-standing

the Earth’s climate system and improving weather and climate

forecast models.

Kipp & Zonen provides the widest range available of

instruments to meet these needs, at levels of price and

performance to suit all applications and fully traceable to

international standards.

Passion for PrecisionOur mission is to satisfy the fundamental need to monitor

atmospheric properties related to climate change, classical

meteorology, climatology, renewable energy and the

available water budget. To achieve this we support signifi cant

research and development by off ering the highest quality

equipment, solutions and support for these markets.

Everyone involved in these subjects is passionate about

them. We share this desire to improve mankind’s scientifi c

knowledge of the world that we live in and to contribute to

the exploration of our future climate and its eff ects on eco-

systems and bio-diversity.

Therefore it is with passion that we develop, manufacture

and market our products worldwide. Kipp & Zonen is a

business, but we also believe that what we do is of genuine

benefi t to the global community. We hope that you will join

us in our passion for precision.

Our Capabilities

Kipp & Zonen is a leading authority in the measurement of

solar radiation and atmospheric properties and is widely

recognized for expertise, quality and service. We support

signifi cant research and development and maintain close

links with the scientifi c community and international bodies

such as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

We take part in scientifi c comparisons and fi eld campaigns

and are involved with the creation of international

standards. Kipp & Zonen is certifi ed to ISO 9001:2008 and

is a founder member of the Association of the Hydro-

Meteorological Equipment Industry (HMEI). We have

in-house facilities for research, development, software,

manufacture and testing, and we can provide customer-

specifi c solutions.

High quality customer support is essential to our business

and includes provision of spare parts, repair, service and

calibration. Our experts are available to give assistance and

advice on the most appropriate equipment for an

application. For our more complex products we off er on-site

installation, commissioning and training.

Professionals in these scientific disciplines strive to

understand the infl uences on our weather (short-term) and

climate (long-term), on scales from very local to country-

wide and global. They use a mixture of software models and

skilled data interpretation to make forecasts. However, this

mainly depends upon predicting the future from what

happened in the past and, as many people in the world are

now aware, this is no longer reliable.

Improved forecasting requires good quality and reliable

real-time data from widespread networks of instruments

around the globe, and a key part of this is solar radiation.

Kipp & Zonen manufactures a full range of instruments for

monitoring solar, sky and terrestrial radiation; from small,

light, models suited to entry-level weather stations and

portable fi eld use up to the very best equipment available.

Pyranometers, pyrgeometers, net radiometers, total-UV and

sunshine duration sensors - we make them all, plus a

comprehensive range of accessories. Pyrheliometers

measure only the radiation coming directly from the sun

and, of course, Kipp & Zonen makes some of the best

automatic sun trackers to mount them on. All this data needs

to be acquired and stored – we have solutions for that too.

Kipp & Zonen instruments are the choice of meteorological

organisations and climate researchers around the world who

demand quality, reliability and performance.

Meteorology and Climatology

A major concern is the environmental impact of cities and

industrialisation on the environment and on the population,

particularly with respect to air quality. In the ‘developed’

world things are improving but in many emerging economies

the situation is rapidly getting worse. Volcanic emissions

and deforestation by fi re add to problems in the Asia-Pacifi c

regions.

Many factors eff ect bad urban air quality and ‘smog’ events,

including; solar radiation, atmospheric aerosols and the

temperature profi le. In order to give the public advance

warning of hazardous air quality it is necessary to have

accurate real-time information. Kipp & Zonen has innovative

instruments using the latest optical, microwave and laser

(Lidar) technologies.

Another health concern is the amount of harmful UV

radiation reaching the ground. To report the UV-Index

accurately for public information requires quite

sophisticated instruments. Only Kipp & Zonen produces

both these and the software necessary to correct the data for

atmospheric eff ects.

‘Holes in the Ozone layer’ are areas of stratospheric Ozone

depletion. These are indicators of the general health of the

atmosphere and let through more

harmful UV to the ground. They

are not confi ned to the North

and South Poles. The Kipp &

Zonen ‘Brewer’ spectropho-

tometer forms the basis of

the global Ozone and UV

database.

Public Health and Environment

Renewable EnergyThe limited supply and rising prices of traditional energy

sources, together with the increasing awareness of climate

change, have resulted in rapid development of alternative

energy sources. Recent years have seen exponential growth

in the wind and solar energy markets.

Kipp & Zonen provides a complete range of solar radiation

measuring instruments for both photo-voltaic (PV) and

thermal solar energy systems. By measuring the available

incoming solar energy the effi ciency of the system can be

calculated, and the need for cleaning or other maintenance

can be assessed.

Solar Farms

Southern Europe is one of the leading regions of the World

when it comes to collecting solar energy. ‘Solar Farms’ are

becoming a common sight, with hundreds of acres covered

by PV arrays, and the effi ciency of these must be monitored.

Our CMP series pyranometers fulfi ll the requirements of the

IEC 60904 standard for PV testing and are widely used for

measuring and comparing all types of PV systems.

Kipp & Zonen sun trackers, pyrheliometers and pyrano-

meters are installed in networks to ensure the precise and

objective measurement of incoming solar radiation.

The data is used for solar

energy research and for

‘Sun Prospecting’ (the

determination of

optimal locations).

Solar energy

professionals rely

on Kipp & Zonen products.

Over the past 15 years industrial scientists and engineers

have become familiar with Kipp & Zonen products. Many

industrial applications require testing of products and

materials for the eff ects of environmental exposure that

could be experienced in use world-wide. This can be done at

outdoor weathering facilities or in special climate chambers.

Solar radiation is a large part of that exposure and this is our

specialty.

Tested to Any Extreme

The Automotive Industry is a large and most prestigious

mass-production industry. Heat-load testing and the eff ects

of UV radiation are conducted on complete vehicles,

components and materials. To ensure controlled conditions

much testing is carried out in climate chambers with

solar radiation simulated by high power metal-halide or

tungsten-halogen lamps.

Pyranometers are used to monitor the light intensity

(irradiance) at various positions within the test environment

as well as the spectral power distribution and its uniformity

within a reference area. ‘Accelerated’ testing is often done,

with intensities and temperatures several times the

maximum natural levels. Our High Temperature Pyranometer

was developed in close cooperation with our industrial

partners to be the World’s most reliable pyranometer for

measurements in such extreme conditions.

To any extreme, Kipp & Zonen instruments will deliver

reliable performance.

Industry

Light is essential for plant growth. It drives the process of

Photosynthesis, which converts water and Carbon Dioxide

into Glucose and Oxygen. This chemical process is the

driving force in plant development. Diff erent parts of the

light spectrum have specifi c infl uences on plant physiology,

such as leaf development, stem elongation, and the

biological clock.

The Netherlands has a reputation for effi cient production of

vegetables, fruit and fl owers. Being one of the most densely

populated countries in the world, there is a constant need to

improve horticultural production methods that effi ciently

use the scarce land available.

Optimizing the Measurement of the Light of Life

Accurate measurement of solar radiation and Photo-

synthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is a necessity to control

the complex artifi cial environments within the numerous

greenhouses in our country. Kipp & Zonen pyranometers are

used in the majority of meteorological stations which

provide the inputs for greenhouse climate control systems,

in which both natural sunlight and artifi cial lighting is used.

Our PAR sensors are employed to monitor the infl ux of PAR

radiation from these sources.

Advances in lighting systems for horticulture provide

improved control and quality of plant growth. Kipp & Zonen

is in constant cooperation with agricultural companies and

universities to develop and improve radiometers to meet the

measurement requirements of the future.

Agriculture

The Earth’s atmosphere is a complex system of dynamic

turbulent processes and changing chemical composition.

Accurate data about the atmosphere is of vital importance

for research into properties such as boundary layer evolution,

aerosols, pollution development, clouds, and more.

Traditional measurements are made ‘in situ’ using

instruments on towers, attached to balloons or in aircraft.

Remote sensing instruments do not require contact with the

medium being measured and are normally ground or satellite

based. Kipp & Zonen supplies a range of products using

optical and microwave remote sensing technologies.

Investigating the Atmosphere at the Speed of Light

Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) uses Laser pulses

transmitted into the atmosphere. A proportion of the energy

is refl ected back by molecules and aerosols to the receiving

telescope, which collects the radiation and focuses it onto a

sensitive detector.

The time delay between the transmitted pulse and any part

of the return signal is equivalent to distance (range). This

ability to derive profi les of atmospheric

properties with excellent temporal

and spatial resolution is the key

advantage of the Lidar technique.

Kipp & Zonen exclusively represents

Lidar systems designed and manufactured

by Raymetrics S.A. of Greece, which are the

result of years of research and co-operation

within international campaigns.

They are compact, portable, turn-

key, cost-eff ective and designed

for continuous outdoor operation.

Remote Sensing

There is an ever-growing need for fresh water, for people,

animals, agriculture and industry. Life depends on water and

in certain parts of the world climate change severely impacts

upon its availability and usage. Monsoons fail, rain patterns

shift and fertile areas become barren.

The challenge for hydrologists is to gain an accurate insight

into the world’s water resources, and this requires

continuous monitoring of rainfall, river run-off , evaporation,

and surface energy fl uxes.

Our turn-key Large Aperture Scintillometer (LAS) Evapo-

Transpiration (ET) systems are specifi cally designed for

Earth energy balance studies. These systems offer

measurement scales up to 10 km for atmospheric turbulence,

sensible heat fl ux and ET. This is a major advantage over

point measurement techniques, making them ideal for the

ground validation of satellite measurements.

Monitoring the World’s Water Resources

River basins and deltas support the supply to local

populations of fresh water for both consumption and

irrigation purposes. Monitoring them is a signifi cant part of

water resource management. ET is an important indicator of

plant and tree condition and rates of growth and the data

can serve as an input for hydrological models, drought

prediction and crop yield forecasts.

Kipp & Zonen scintillometer

systems off er a

reliable, robust

and easy to use

solution for hydrology

applications.

Hydrology

Solar Instruments

Radiometers for measuring ultraviolet, visible,

infrared and far infrared solar and atmospheric radiation

Sun trackers and two-axis positioners

Accessories, including ventilation units,

shadow rings and signal amplifi ers

Calibration services

Atmospheric Science Instruments

For the measurement of stratospheric ozone, UV spectra,

aerosols, temperature profi les, evapo-transpiration,

atmospheric properties and the ground-truthing of

satellite data

Our Customers

National meteorological and hydrological

organisations and networks

Environmental, climatic and scientifi c institutes

Agricultural and horticultural businesses

Solar energy research, development and service companies

Laboratories for industrial research and development,

quality control, test and measurement

System integrators of automatic weather stations

and other turn-key systems

Educational institutes.

For full information on our extensive product range

please visit us at www.kippzonen.com

Kipp & Zonen B.V.

Delftechpark 36, 2628 XH Delft

P.O. Box 507, 2600 AM Delft

The Netherlands

T: +31 (0) 15 2755 210

F: +31 (0) 15 2620 351

info@kippzonen.com