One of the most challenging aspects to developing a solar project is determining whether a site is a good fit for a solar installation. Even with the best equipment, solar only works best in locations that meet the proper criteria.
The first hurdle is to determine if your location receives a good enough amount of solar radiation. The amount of solar radiation you can convert to electricity depends on your geographic location and the time of year. Weather patterns also play an important role in determining the amount of solar radiation in a given time period. Many parts of Texas are opportune locations for solar energy generation if other important criteria are met.
One of the next most important hurdles is to identify any nearby objects, trees, or buildings that may be obstacles to sunlight during different parts of the day. Even if your location receives a lot of sunlight, the shadow from chimneys, nearby buildings, telephone poles, trees, and topographical barriers may significantly impact the amount of sunlight that you can receive. These challenges can make or break a successful solar project.
The amount of available space you have can also significantly affect the financials behind a solar installation. A limited amount of available space makes it difficult for a solar installation to be worth the time, money, and operation costs.
The pitch, or the angle of the roof, also plays an important role in a solar installation's electricity generation capacity. Buildings with steep or flat roofs require extra effort to maximize the amount of energy captured. Solar panels also need to face the direction that allows them to maximize the amount of solar radiation they can capture. South-facing solar panels always face the sun, reducing the amount of shadow cast on them during daylight hours.
There are several existing resources that will help you to determine whether your proposed site for solar may be a good fit. It is important to note, however, that these resources only provide an estimate of your solar energy potential. Always consult with a solar expert before investing in solar at your selected site.
Google Project Sunroof - Project Sunroof uses Google Earth imagery to analyze roof shape and local weather patterns to determine how viable solar might be at your selected location. The tool then provides a rough estimate of the cost of a solar installation at your location and potential long-term savings that you may be able to take advantage of through solar. The tool combines data from:
- Imagery and 3D modeling and shade calculations from Google.
- Weather data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
- Utility electricity rates information from Clean Power Research.
- Solar pricing data from NREL’s Open PV Project, California Solar Initiative, and NY-Sun Open NY PV data.
- Solar incentives data from relevant Clean Power Research, Federal, State and local authorities as well as relevant utility websites.
- Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, SRECTrade, and relevant state authorities.
- Aggregated and anonymized solar cost data from Aurora Solar software.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) PVWatts - PVWatts estimates the energy production and cost of rooftop or ground-mounted grid-connected solar energy systems. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential solar installations. The tool relies on hourly typical meteorological year (TMY) data from the NREL National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB).
Note: Solar energy production estimates depend on many factors, such as shading, typical weather in your area and equipment used. NREL, your solar provider, Project Sunroof and others may have different estimates, leading to different outputs.
