Accessing data from the World Radiation Data Centre
To obtain data from the World Radiation Data Centre Online Archive, you need only a conventional e-mail account that allows you to communicate with an Internet e-mail account.
Using simple commands in a message written with your e-mail editor, you specify data subsets from the archive that will be sent to you via e-mail. Although the command format is rigid, it is a simple line-oriented structure. If you wish to do more with the data than just read it, you will need an editor that allows you to cut the data from the return message and save it to a file. An editor that allows you to examine text lines up to 132 characters long is also desirable.
The command format for requesting information from the archive is typically a single word on one line (the DATA command requires additional parameters on additional lines).
Avoid including anything in your message other than commands
Your messages will generally be seen only by the system, not a person.
Any unrecognized verbiage will be returned to you as error messages.
Text you may not have intended as commands may be misinterpreted as such.
The e-mail address for all automatic data transfers is: data@wrdc-mgo.nrel.gov
We suggest that you order the metadata files listed below before attempting to download solar radiation data.