Peter Hoberg VP Marketing

Transcription

1 Peter Hoberg VP Marketing

2 Topics Why measure shade? Important terms and concepts Operating the Solmetric SunEye Resources for more information

3 Why measure shade? Choose optimum location for panels Predict energy production accurately Ensure optimum financials Shading has a disproportionate impact on energy production

4 What s Happening Electrically? Photovoltaic I-V Curve Isc Imp I-V curve Max power point Curre ent Voltage Vmp Voc

5 Array of Cells, Cell Strings or Modules I Parallel I-V building blocks Series Total (net) I-V curve V

6 PV Module with Bypass Diodes Typical 72-cell PV Module (bypass diodes shown) +

7 Shade 2 cells in the same cell-string Single module with 72 cells and 3 bypass diodes

8 Shade 2 cells in adjacent cell-strings Single module with 72 cells and 3 bypass diodes

9 Shade Effects Example: 1 Business Card on a string of 15 modules

10 Example: Tree Shading

11 Shade measurements in the solar life cycle To estimate performance for sale Sales Call Preliminary Site survey Preliminary design Proposal Contract To estimate performance for design Detailed Site Survey Final Design Installation Checkout Startup Performance Verification Performance Monitoring Service To document as-built To measure changes and troubleshoot

12 Solar Resource Terms Irradiance: Solar Power per unit area in kw/m 2 Insolation: Solar Energy over time per unit area in kwh/m 2 Solar Access: % insolation available compared to no shading Tilt and Orientation Factor (TOF): % insolation available at actual panel orientation compared to optimum orientation Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF): % insolation available, accounting for both shading and orientation (TOF) TSRF = Solar Access x TOF

13 Insolation Solar energy over time per unit area in kwh/m 2 Irradiance: incident solar radiation per unit area 1000 W/m 2 (1kW/m 2 ) at earth s surface 1 kw/m 2 of irradiance for 6 hours: = 1 kw/m 2 x 6 hr = 6 kwh/m 2 of insolation

14 TOF example: San Diego insolation

15 Sun Trajectories Noon Sunrise Sunset

16 Annual Sunpath

17 Solar Access Horizon View SunPath View

18 Solar Resource Terms Optimum Annual Insolation TOF Solar Access Loss due to suboptimal tilt/azimuth Loss due to shading TSRF

19 Solar Resource Example Optimum Annual Insolation TOF Loss due to shading Solar Access TSRF Loss due to suboptimal tilt/azimuth

20 Solmetric SunEye 100 Series Introduced in 2006 Thousands in use by installers worldwide Model 210 Introduced in Feb 2010 Popular features very well accepted

21 Operating the SunEye 1) Create a Session Create a new session for each site visit Enter a name and a location Verify time zone 2) Capture Skylines - Enter panel azimuth and tilt - Make multiple measurements

22 A) Point South B) Hold Level C) Press Snap Capturing Skylines Skyline Preview Always SOUTH and LEVEL!

23 Capture skylines Best Practices for Shade Around perimeter of design area every 10 to 15 feet, eg CCW At the height of a module At the corners of the design area At worst case scenario locations Make a map and label skylines

24 Best Practices for Shade Check Results: Session Parameters Location Time zone Data summaries Skyline quality Obstructions ID d correctly Photographer not in Sun Path Panel Tilt/Azimuth Sun Position (if present)

25 Annual Sunpath View View Solar Access View TOF & TSRF

26 Editing a Skyline Simulate Tree trimming Tree removal Tree growth New building construction

27 Monthly Solar Access Single Skyline Session Average

28 Obstruction Elevation View

29 To view shading in a month/time window only: Windowed Access Preview mode To mark shade free zone move away from obstruction until it is outside the window and mark roof with chalk. Annual Sunpaths View

30 Sky type Reduces skyline detection errors Adjusts color balance Three settings Clouds and Blue Sky: Good for very bright days with hazy sky conditions Normal: default and generally ok for most situations Shaded: Optimum for detecting tree edges

31 Sky type examples Normal Clouds and Blue Sky Normal Shaded

32 Alignment issues If not aligned properly, warning message appears Retry to repeat measurement Continue accepts it and Autocorrects it* *In versions 4.50 and below, there is no autocorrection, so the measurement is assumed to be South/Level.

33 If metal on roof affects the compass: Align to Target Set target to arbitrary known value Compass is ignored during measurement Measurement is referenced to user-entered target Top of screen is target heading, included in report

34 Align to Target Skyline may look distorted in report due to autoscale function and rotation Heading is shown on report and in Skyline Properties Or TARGET Always SOUTH and LEVEL!

35 SunEye GPS Add-On Integrated internally on SunEye 210 Automatic Session location Records location of each skyline Reports include file for Google Earth

36 Trigger measurements by rotating the pole Automatic correction for azimuth and tilt SunEye Extension Kit Make measurements up to 18ft from the ground Ready for the next measurement in a few seconds

37 Transfer data to computer via USB View the data in the same forms as the device Easier skyline editing Share Sessions with colleagues Create reports Export files to design tools Launch Solmetric PV Designer

38 Solar Access and Shade Report

39 PV Designer

40 Optimize Panel Placement

41 Compare Designs

42 Visit our website: For more information Product details Training videos Training webinars Free online tools Search our knowledge base Call or Phone: (707) Toll-free: Peter Hoberg (707) x204