If an adequate model of the reflection characteristics of a given scene is available, the reflected solar irradiance from the scene may be determined from radiance measurements made by satellite‐borne scanning radiometers. A theoretical analysis of the reflection functions of broken cloud scenes is presented, using Monte Carlo simulations of the radiative transfer in various three‐dimensional geometries. It is shown that the reflection functions of horizontally extensive (stratiform) and horizontally limited (cumuliform) clouds are generally quite different. The differences are greatest for nadir and limb views, but tend to vanish for reflected radiances with a zenith angle of 60°. Applications to satellite observations suggest potential errors of a factor of 2 in the inferred irradiance are likely due to scene misidentification when the radiances are interpreted indiscriminantly. Selection of preferred satellite viewing directions, however, can significantly reduce this e