Solar Resource Mapping in Pakistan SITE EVALUATION REPORT July 2015 This report was prepared by the consultants listed on the following pages, under contract to The World Bank. It is one of several outputs from the solar Resource Mapping and Geospatial Planning Pakistan [Project ID: P146140]. This activity is funded and supported by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), a multi-donor trust fund administered by The World Bank, under a global initiative on Renewable Energy Resource Mapping. Further details on the initiative can be obtained from the ESMAP website. This document is an interim output from the above-mentioned project. Users are strongly advised to exercise caution when utilizing the information and data contained, as this has not been subject to full peer review. The final, validated, peer reviewed output from this project will be the Pakistan Solar Atlas, which will be published once the project is completed. Copyright © 2015 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / THE WORLD BANK Washington DC 20433 Telephone: +1-202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the consultants listed, and not of World Bank staff. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work and accept no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: +1-202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. Furthermore, the ESMAP Program Manager would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication that uses this publication for its source sent in care of the address above, or to esmap@worldbank.org. ESMAP – Renewable Energy Resource Mapping Initiative - Solar Resource Mapping for Pakistan – Site evaluation report: Islamabad, COMSATS University Campus Responsible Authors Birk Kraas (CSP Services) Christoph Schillings (DLR) Qazi Sabir (PITCO) DOC: SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Author Contact Information: CSP Services GmbH Friedrich-Ebert-Ufer 30 51143 Köln/Cologne, Germany e-mail: b.kraas@cspservices.de 01 July 2014 CSP Services GmbH Birk Kraas Friedrich-Ebert-Ufer 30 51143 Cologne, Germany Phone: +49 2203 959003 6 Mob.: +49 162 9373484 b.kraas@cspservices.de DLR Dr. Christoph Schillings Pfaffenwaldring 38-40 70563 Stuttgart, Germany Phone: +49 711 6862 784 christoph.schillings@dlr.de PITCO: Qazi Sabir Phone: +92 (42) 36363751 qazi.sabir@pitcopk.com – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 2 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Contents 1 Executive Summary.............................................................................. 4 2 Procedure and tasks of the site visit .................................................... 5 3 Site visit results ................................................................................... 6 3.1 Overview, description of the site and surroundings ................................. 6 3.2 Local support, maintenance staff and future hardware use ....................... 7 3.3 Site 1 (on ground aside the existing meteorological equipment) ............... 9 Coordinates ................................................................................. 9 Checklist for evaluation of the situation of and at the site ................... 9 Shadings and Reflections ............................................................. 11 3.4 Site 2 (roof top) ............................................................................... 16 Coordinates ............................................................................... 16 Checklist for evaluation of the situation of and at the site ................. 17 Shadings and Reflections ............................................................. 17 4 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 22 – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 3 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 1 Executive Summary A team of AEDB (Alternative Energy Development Board of Pakistan), WBG (World Bank Group) and the solar vendor consortium for the ESMAP Pakistan Solar Resource Mapping Project visited the campus of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Islamabad on June 03, 2014. The goal was to evaluate if the location is suitable for the installation of a solar ground measurement station in the framework of the project. Two different sites have been examined on the campus, one directly next to the existing meteorological station of COMSATS (Site 1) and the other on top of a campus building (Site 2). Site 1 is recommended for the installation of a Tier1 or Tier2 meteorological station (CSP Services MDI automatic weather station). The station should be positioned as far as possible on the north and east of the available area (the lawn adjacent to the existing meteorological station). This could possibly eliminate or at least reduce the direct shading from the building in the Southeast in winter which is otherwise deemed to be acceptable due to its limited temporal extent, although not ideal. Other shadings from obstacles on the horizon in the morning and evening are also of brief duration and can be accepted for the purpose of comparing satellite and ground measurement data. Site 2 is also suitable with even smaller durations of shading impacts, but the location on the rooftop is unfavourable for maintenance purposes and due to the somewhat higher amount of obstructed horizon towards east within the sun’s path. This site should only be considered as a backup alternative if Site 1 can for some reason not be used. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 4 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 2 Procedure and tasks of the site visit The following tasks have been performed for the site visit, following the procedure from the site visit manual: 1. Recording of exact geographic coordinates of the site(s) and orientations 2. Photographic documentation of the site - Overview of site and location, - panoramic 360 degrees round view from the site for identification of potential obstacles blocking the sun path 3. Check of availability, strength and potential providers of GSM network at the site 4. Audit of local staff to clarify all relevant information (see checklist) 5. Information of local staff at the site about the project, its aim and required tasks for realization and clarification of availability and prospected quality of the required support from their side 6. In-office evaluation of results and compilation of this report – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 5 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 3 Site visit results The results of the site visit and its evaluation is presented in the following section. 3.1 Overview, description of the site and surroundings Figure 1: Location overview (Google Maps View) Figure 2: Aerial View (Google Earth View) – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 6 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 The COMSATS Institute of Information Technology campus in Islamabad is located in the southeast of the city, south of Rawal Lake. In close vicinity beginning at a distance of about 200 m, there are gardens and small agricultural fields as well as small settlements with one and two storey buildings around the campus. To the southeast there is a large housing complex of about 30 m height (8 storeys) consisting of 4 blocks. A small river called Gumrah Kas is the northern boundary of the campus. Islamabad is located at the southern flanks of the Margalla hills, a hill and mountain range which is part of the lesser Himalayas. Elevation of the mountains range from 685 m (western end) to 1604 m (eastern end), average height is about 1000 m. These hills are visible from the site to the North. To the south, the terrain is mostly flat. The campus itself consists of several 3-4 storey buildings with grass and small gardens in between. 3.2 Local support, maintenance staff and future hardware use The availability of qualified staff for the regular local maintenance (cleaning of sensors and other parts, visual inspection, surveillance of equipment) and the institutional support of the involved stakeholder are directly relevant for the success of the ESMAP project measurement campaign. Future use of the equipment after the ESMAP project termination is another issue to be considered in order to provide maximum sustainability of the project. Local support and maintenance staff Local staff is available and confirmed to be willing to perform maintenance tasks throughout the 24 months of the measurement campaign. A short briefing about the required tasks and their frequency of occurrence has been given to COMSATS representatives. Qualification of local staff is given, since COMSATS has a dedicated department of meteorology with corresponding staff and there is already sophisticated meteorological equipment present and operating under their control. This data could furthermore be a valuable extra input for the comparison of satellite and ground measurement data within the ESMAP campaign. COMSATS also stated to provide the site preparation (civil works) free of cost. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 7 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Future hardware use (sustainability) The meteorological station from the ESMAP project would be a good complementary station to the existing COMSATS meteorological station, since it would add Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) measurement to the station. Since COMSATS is planning to do solar energy research for concentrating solar power technologies including erection of solar collector prototypes as well. The station would likely be used actively in future and the value added therefore be increased. Contact Information The local contact for the site is  Dr. M Imran Shahzad, Assistant Professor Department of Meteorology Tel: +92-51-90495093 email:Imran.shahzad@comsats.edu.pk  Dr. Kalim Ulah, Assistance Professor Department of Meteorology Tel: +92-51-90495370 email:kalim_ullah@comsats.edu.pk  Dr. Shahina Tariq, Chairperson / Head of Department of Meteorology Tel: +92-51-9240826 email:shahinatariq@comsats.edu.pk – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 8 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 3.3 Site 1 (on ground aside the existing meteorological equipment) Coordinates N 33.6514° E 73.1575°, altitude 495 m above mean sea level Site 1 is located directly north of the existing COMSATS meteorological station on a horizontally levelled grass area of about 10×20 m². Figure 3: View from Site 1 to the North Figure 4: View from Site 1 to the South Checklist for evaluation of the situation of and at the site The following checklist has been filled at the site visit and is completed by interviewing stakeholders (COMSATS Meteorological Department Assistant Professor) on site. Table 1: Site checklist for site 1 Criteria/Measure Yes / No Notes Dimensionsi Minimum area 10 × 10 m² available Firm natural groundii yes Ground typeiii Grass Horizontally levellediv yes Excavation for foundations yes Surface possiblev Fencing of the site possiblevi yes Not necessary No drifting sand/snowvii no No flooding possibleviii no Obstructions See Panoramic View If yes, note direction, distance Figure 5 Surroundings and approx. heightix Building in the south, Reflections or light sourcesx solid angle ~0.26 sr – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 9 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Industrial areas or power no plantsxi Little Single events of Sources of smoke or vaporxii farmers burning weed, household fires, … Quarry or minexiii no Main road, dirt road, trackxiv Paved roads only Airportsxv No Large distance yes Small settlements Settlements, towns, cityxvi around yes Small fields and Agricultural areaxvii gardens yes Rawal lake 8 km, small Swamp, lake, river, oceanxviii river Sand dunesxix no Animal populationsxx no Occurrence of snowfallxxi no May occur in winter; Temperatures below freezing Record low pointxxii temperature -3.9°C Otherxxiii - Accessibility Accessible by carxxiv yes xxv GSM coverage 2G network available yes All 5 providers yes Power outages up to 2-3 hours; ±50 V Grid power Electricity availablexxvi voltage fluctuations possible yes Given by COMSATS Land use rights Permit availablexxvii board yes Given by COMSATS Operation permit Permit availablexxviii board no Some measurement No underground or overhead cables of existing electrical lines, pipelines or weather station, Security similar xxix positions known Measures against theft or No Secured campus vandalism required?xxx – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 10 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Regarding the aspects covered by the checklist, site 1 is well suited for the installation of a ground measurement station. The installation on flat natural grass- covered ground is ideal; safety of the equipment against human or natural influences is given on the guarded campus. The surroundings lack any industrial facility thus no negative impacts on irradiation and measurement conditions is stated. All roads in the surroundings are paved and therefore not heavily dust- emitting; large water bodies are at least several kilometres distant. No special permits are required and permission to use the site can be given directly by the resident stakeholder COMSATS. Shadings and Reflections Panoramic View The picture in Figure 5 shows a panoramic view with a centered south view, North is on the left and right edge of the picture. Blue markers show the North, South, East and West direction as well as horizon height. The sun paths throughout the year are displayed in the picture, revealing if any objects on the horizon are imposing an obstruction to the direct solar irradiance. Figure 5: Panoramic View with North, South, horizon line and monthly sun paths with the corresponding position at full hours marked From the panoramic view, it is visible that at low sun angles around sun rise and sunset, trees and structures on the horizon are blocking the sun. The large building to the South will create a shadow in the forenoon of the winter months December to January. The impact is further analyzed in the following paragraphs. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 11 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Shading Table for Sun Elevations >0° Figure 6: Shading Table for Sun Elevations >0° Figure 6 shows the shading table throughout the year. It becomes clear that in the morning and evening hours especially in fall, winter and spring, shading occurs in the early morning hours and in the late afternoon shortly before sunset. This is due to the trees and structures in the east and west. Another shading occurs in the winter months short before 10 AM due to the building in the south, as already identified from the panoramic view. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 12 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Shading Table for Sun Elevations >5° Figure 7: Shading Table for Sun Elevations >5° Figure 7 shows the shading table after excluding Sun Elevations smaller than 5° above horizon. At these low angles, measurement uncertainty of satellite and ground measurement is elevated due to the large cosine error, and the data from these periods is therefore excluded from the satellite data adjustment and validation. Also from the view of any solar power installation (PV or CSP), sun elevation smaller than 5° is usually not contributing to electricity or heat generation due to shading, unfavorable incidence angles and low irradiance intensity. Subsequently, all further graphs and evaluations refer to sun elevations larger than 5°, as the main aim of the measurements on ground is the adjustment of the long- term satellite data. From the graph, it is visible that shading still occurs in the morning and evening for brief periods, but much shorter than without the exclusion of the very low sun elevations. The shading for brief intervals between 9 and 10 AM in December and January, which is due to the building in the south, is still present. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 13 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Direct Shading Impact Figure 8 shows the impact of shading on direct normal irradiation (DNI). DNI is modeled according to Bird (Bird et al., 1991) as a theoretical clear-sky DNI throughout the year and can be interpreted as the maximum solar resource. The impact of shading on this figure is therefore the maximum quantitative impact shading could have on solar resource. Figure 8: Shading Impact on BirdDNI for Sun Elevations >5° From the figure, it is clearly visible that shadings in the morning and evening have a very limited quantitative impact due to the still low sun elevation and therefore subsequently lower DNI intensity. The shadings in winter forenoons due to the building in the south have a more severe impact, though, as DNI is already elevated at this time. Figure 9: Shading Impact for Sun Elevations >5° – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 14 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Figure 9 shows the impact of direct shading due to the reported obstructions. The left figure shows the percentage of time for all calendar months which is affected by direct shading. In total, about 0.3 % of the time is affected by direct shading. The right figure shows the quantitative impact of shading on the Bird-DNI summarized for each month. For the whole year, the reduction of the annual Bird-DNI sum due to direct shading is about 0.4 %. For both figures, it is clearly visible that the impact is well below 1 % throughout the entire year. Diffuse Shading and Reflections The building in the south does not only shade direct irradiance when the sun is hidden behind it, but permanently blocks a portion of the sky which contributes to diffuse irradiance. From the measured angles (given from the panorama analyzer software), a solid angle of about 0.26 sr is calculated for the entire housing complex. On the hemisphere of the sky, this results in a coverage of about 4 % of the sky by this building complex (conservative estimate, counting the whole building complex as a rectangle with the maximum extensions). Since the sensors measuring global or diffuse irradiance are installed horizontally, the incidence angle of irradiance coming from this sky zone has to be included in the estimation of the corresponding impact, resulting in an incident-angle corrected contribution of 1.7 % by the building complex. Additionally, relevant for the influence on global and diffuse irradiance measurement is only the difference of the radiation coming from the solid angle of the building instead of from the obstructed sky region. With the steadily changing irradiation conditions, the difference of the reflected (direct and diffuse) radiation from the building and the obstructed sky zone is varying with the time and is hardly assignable as a unique value due to its complexity. Due to its generally low impact, this issue can be classified as not relevant. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 15 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 3.4 Site 2 (roof top) Coordinates N 33.6508°, E 73.1565°, altitude 510 m above mean sea level Site 2 is on the flat rooftop of one of the campus buildings. Selecting such an elevated position often helps to resolve or at least improve sensor shading and obstruction of the horizon, improves security issues of the equipment concerning theft and usually facilitates access by staff and power supply. The disadvantage is a disturbed wind profile, which however often is disturbed in populated regions and within settlements. Figure 10: View from Site 2 to Figure 11: View from Site 2 to the Northwest South – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 16 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Checklist for evaluation of the situation of and at the site The checklist has been filled at the site visit and is completed by interviewing stakeholders (COMSATS Meteorological Department Assistant Professor) on site. Only the points differing to Site 1 are listed here. Table 2: Reduced site checklist for site 2 Criteria/Measure Yes / No Notes No Custom setup Dimensionsxxxi Minimum area 10 × 10 m² required Firm natural groundxxxii No Ground typexxxiii Concrete Surface Horizontally levelledxxxiv yes Excavation for foundations (Yes) Casting or drilling possiblexxxv possible Obstructions See Panoramic If yes, note direction, distance View Figure 12 and approx. heightxxxvi Surroundings Building in the Reflections or light sourcesxxxvii south, solid angle ~0.16 sr Regarding the aspects covered by the checklist, site 2 is also well suited for the installation of a ground measurement station. The installation on a rooftop is a valid option for solar ground measurement, safety of the equipment against human or natural influences is even increased. All other aspects are identical to site 1. Shadings and Reflections Panoramic View The picture shows a panoramic view with a centered south view, North is on the left and right edge of the picture. Blue markers show the North, South, East and West direction as well as horizon height. The sun paths throughout the year are displayed in the picture, revealing if any objects on the horizon are imposing an obstruction to the direct solar irradiance. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 17 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Figure 12: Panoramic View with North, South, horizon line and monthly sun paths with the corresponding position at full hours marked From the panoramic view, it is visible that at low sun angles around sun rise, the large housing complex is blocking the sun. The impact is further analyzed in the following paragraphs. Shading Table for Sun Elevations >0° Figure 13: Shading Table for Sun Elevations >0° Figure 13 shows the occurrence of shading by obstructions on the horizon throughout the year. Shading occurs mostly in spring and fall at sunrise, for up to about one hour per day. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 18 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Shading Table for Sun Elevations >5° Figure 14: Shading Table for Sun Elevations >5° Figure 14 shows the shading table for Sun Elevations larger than 5°. In comparison to Site 1, shading effects are present only in the morning and to a higher degree, but never in the evening or during the day. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 19 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Direct Shading Impact Figure 15 shows the impact of shading on DNI for Site 2 in the same way as Figure 8 does for Site 1. Figure 15: Shading Impact on BirdDNI for Sun Elevations >5° The quantitative impact of shadings from obstacles close to the horizon is again limited due to low sun elevations and resulting low DNI. In contrary to site 1, the shading impact at sunrise in March and October is more extent here; however, no obstruction occurs at higher solar angles like at site 1 between 9 and 10 in the morning with intensities of >800 W/m². Figure 16: Shading Impact for Sun Elevations >5° – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 20 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Figure 16 shows the impact of direct shading due to the reported obstructions. The left figure shows the percentage of time for all calendar months which is affected by direct shading. Compared to Site 1, the duration of shadings is somewhat higher (above 1 % of the time) in spring and fall. In total, about 0.5 % of the time is affected by direct shading, which is more than for Site 1. The right figure shows the quantitative impact of shading on the Bird-DNI summarized for each month. For the whole year sum, the reduction of the annual Bird-DNI sum (as maximal possible measurement error due to obstruction and direct beam shading) is about 0.4 %, identical to Site 1. For both figures, it is clearly visible that the maximum monthly impact is well below 2 % throughout the entire year, but a little higher compared to Site 1. Diffuse Shading and Reflections Diffuse shading and reflections are also negligible at this site because no object has a significant height above horizon to block a mentionable portion of the sky or reflect additional irradiance on the sensor (see above explanation). The solid angle of the building complex in the southeast is also much smaller than on Site 1. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 21 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 4 Conclusion The surroundings of the location are well acceptable for the installation of a ground measurement station. No significant external influence from surrounding facilities on the overall meteorological and atmospherical conditions could be stated during the site visit. The local stakeholder confirmed his support and smooth operation and proper maintenance of the station is expected with high probability. Future use of the equipment after the two years measurement campaign is also assured by the local stakeholder, the sustainability of installing a meteorological station at COMSATS is expected to be very high. Site 1 and 2 have similar shading profiles with a low overall impact of obstacles. Site 1 is slightly in disadvantage from the perspective that shading occurs not only at low sun elevations in the morning and evening, but also in the forenoon in winter. On the other hand, Site 1 has distinct advantages which are mainly in its easier accessibility and its proximity to the existing meteorological station and potentially the possibility to improve the pattern by moving the new equipment to the compound edge. The proximity has an assumed positive effect on the execution of maintenance works and the measurement values could be double-checked with the existing station if data of that station can be made available. Since the occurrences of shading effects are known beforehand, this data can easily be discarded from satellite to ground comparisons, resulting in a total reduction of 0.3 % of data only, which is acceptable. The impact of the building in the south might be lessened a bit if the station is installed as far in the southeast corner of the available area as possible, which changes the perspective of the sensor towards the building in a way that the building is located further to the west, possibly moving it out of the sun path. Site 1 is therefore recommended for the installation of a Tier 1 or 2 meteorological station, with the additional recommendation to locate the station as far northeast as possible on the lawn adjacent to the existing COMSATS meteorological station. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 22 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 Detailed description of checklist criteria: i A site with a minimum extension of 10 × 10 m² is required for the collocation of the meteorological measurement equipment, complying with the characteristics and criteria listed in the following. ii The site suitable for collocation of a meteorological station needs to have a firm ground in order to enable a secure fixation of the equipment on the ground, e.g. by ground anchors and guying ropes. iii Annotate here if the ground consists of firm and naturally grown soil or artificially (by man) filled soil, if it consists of bedrock, firm soil, loose soil or sand. iv Annotate here if the site is approximately horizontally levelled and flat. v Annotate here if it is possible and permitted to lay small foundations (4-5 foundations each approximately 1 × 1 m² and ~0.3 m deep). vi Annotate here if it is possible and permitted to fence the compound. vii Annotate here the terrain consists of drifting sand or snow. viii Annotate here if the terrain may run the risk to be flooded at heavy rain falls. ix Describe any object which exceeds 2 m height in the closer environment of the site and which might shade the measurement equipment on the site from direct sun at any time of the year or which obstructs parts of the sky dome. Describe in detail at least all such objects within 30 m distance as well as bigger objects up to at least 200 m distance from the site. As the sun at sun rise and sun set approaches the horizon in East and West direction (~±30 degrees depending on season), obstructions in these directions are of particular importance. Add sketches of the site environments where possible. Possible obstructing objects are: mountains, hills, buildings, skyscrapers, houses, industrial or commercial buildings, warehouses, churches/mosques or similar buildings (for religious or cultural activities), walls, bridges, towers, chimneys, wind energy plants, transmission masts, power poles, other poles or rods, cranes, street lights, greenhouses, trees, bushes, shrubberies, any other higher vegetation, or similar. Moreover, the view from the site towards the horizon should be documented by 360° photographs (see corresponding description) or a short movie taken from the site, starting in direction to the North over East, South, and West to North direction again. x Annotate if any reflecting surfaces like mirrors, glazing, shiny metal surfaces, PV panels, etc., or artificial light sources are in the environments and might cause reflections or radiation on the measurement equipment, influencing irradiation measurements. xi Annotate if any industrial production site or power plant is located in the environments of a few kilometers, which may cause emissions of smoke, vapor, dust or other aerosols. xii Annotate any source of smoke or water vapor columns located in the environments. xiii Annotate quarries or mines in the environments causing pollution by elevated dust. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 23 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 xiv Annotate close by roads as they frequently cause increased sensor soiling by elevated dust settling down on the sensors, or increase the risk for theft or vandalism due to increased visibility. xv Annotate the presence of airports in the environments as exhaust gases of planes may influence the measurements. xvi Annotate the presence and size of settlements in the environments in order to judge potential influences on the measurements (personally or as secondary effects like smoke or dust) by man. xvii Annotate type and frequency (if possible) of agricultural activities in the environments in order to judge potential impacts on the measurements (e.g. elevated dust, etc.). xviii Annotate their potential presence in the environments in order to judge impacts on the measurements due to increased humidity, oxidation of the equipment, instability of the ground, etc. xix Annotate the presence of sand dunes in the proximities of some kilometers in order to judge potential deposition of sand on the equipment. xx Annotate if any animal population frequents the area which might have any impact on the measurements. Also take into account birds, termites, insects (bees, wasps, etc.), etc. xxi Annotate the occurrence and the frequency (if possible, may be estimated) of days with snowfall or remaining snow cover in order to design the power supply and version of the irradiation sensor(s). xxii Annotate the occurrence and the frequency (if possible, may be estimated) of days with temperatures below freezing point temperature (zero degrees Celsius) in order to design the equipment and judge potential impacts on the measurements. xxiii Annotate any other observations, occurrences or presences which you may estimate them causing potential impacts on the measurements. In the case of doubt about an influence, please annotate the observation. xxiv Annotate if the site is easily reachable by car in order to facilitate the transport of the equipment to the site. xxv Verify with your mobile phone or contacting a reliable local mobile phone network provider the availability of 2G network from different providers. If only 3G network (or higher) is available, verify with the network provider if GPRS connection in 2G mode is enabled. Check with your mobile phone by switching it manually to 2G connection only and test data connectivity via GPRS or EDGE. xxvi Annotate if electricity grid is available at the site for power supply. If information is available, annotate the voltage level and if grid stability issues are known for the site. xxvii Verify and annotate if the land use permits are conceded or given from the land owner. xxviii Verify and annotate if the permits to use the compound for operation of a meteorological station are conceded or given by law and local authorities. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 24 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06 xxix Verify and annotate if no high voltage lines (exceeding 20 V) are crossing the compound neither as overhead line nor in the ground. Verify and annotate if no gas, water, remote heat or other pipeline are crossing the compound above or in the ground. xxx Estimate the risk of theft or vandalism on the measurement equipment. Give an estimation of a safety guard or similar is required to watch the equipment. Detailed description of checklist criteria: xxxi A site with a minimum extension of 10 × 10 m² is required for the collocation of the meteorological measurement equipment, complying with the characteristics and criteria listed in the following. xxxii The site suitable for collocation of a meteorological station needs to have a firm ground in order to enable a secure fixation of the equipment on the ground, e.g. by ground anchors and guying ropes. xxxiii Annotate here if the ground consists of firm and naturally grown soil or artificially (by man) filled soil, if it consists of bedrock, firm soil, loose soil or sand. xxxiv Annotate here if the site is approximately horizontally levelled and flat. xxxv Annotate here if it is possible and permitted to lay small foundations (4-5 foundations each approximately 1 × 1 m² and ~0.3 m deep). xxxvi Describe any object which exceeds 2 m height in the closer environment of the site and which might shade the measurement equipment on the site from direct sun at any time of the year or which obstructs parts of the sky dome. Describe in detail at least all such objects within 30 m distance as well as bigger objects up to at least 200 m distance from the site. As the sun at sun rise and sun set approaches the horizon in East and West direction (~±30 degrees depending on season), obstructions in these directions are of particular importance. Add sketches of the site environments where possible. Possible obstructing objects are: mountains, hills, buildings, skyscrapers, houses, industrial or commercial buildings, warehouses, churches/mosques or similar buildings (for religious or cultural activities), walls, bridges, towers, chimneys, wind energy plants, transmission masts, power poles, other poles or rods, cranes, street lights, greenhouses, trees, bushes, shrubberies, any other higher vegetation, or similar. Moreover, the view from the site towards the horizon should be documented by 360° photographs (see corresponding description) or a short movie taken from the site, starting in direction to the North over East, South, and West to North direction again. xxxvii Annotate if any reflecting surfaces like mirrors, glazing, shiny metal surfaces, PV panels, etc., or artificial light sources are in the environments and might cause reflections or radiation on the measurement equipment, influencing irradiation measurements. – ESMAP Pakistan – confidential - 25 SiteEvalReport_ISL_COMSAT_2014-06