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Site Surveys and Preplanning

Learn about preliminary assessment, site surveys, proposal preparation, and installation planning for solar PV systems. Understand the importance of site surveys, shading analysis, optimal array arrangement, and system component placement. Discover how to optimize power output based on sun orientation. Get insights on magnetic declination adjustments and energy audit data monitoring. Enhance your knowledge to make informed decisions for your solar project.

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Site Surveys and Preplanning

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  1. Preliminary Assessment • Site Surveys • Preparing Proposals • Installation Planning Site Surveys and Preplanning

  2. The installer should meet with each customer to discuss available PV system options.

  3. Information gathered during a site survey should be carefully documented.

  4. A variety of testing and measuring devices and marking equipment is used during site surveys.

  5. The density of the module arrangement in an array affects the accessibility and the area required to produce a certain amount of power.

  6. Roof slope is measured with an angle finder or calculated from the rise and run.

  7. A compass is used to determine the orientation of a sloped roof surface.

  8. The potential loss in receivable solar radiation from non-optimal orientations may not be significant.

  9. Recall • Why is it in the customer’s best interest to have a dense array arrangement vs an open array arrangement?

  10. Directional bearings from magnetic compasses must be adjusted for magnetic declination.

  11. Magnetic declination varies by location and changes slightly over time. Up-to-date maps are used to determine the necessary declination adjustment. Click on map for magnetic declination presentation

  12. Shading of PV modules and arrays can cause disproportional reductions in power output.

  13. Most of the daily solar radiation occurs between 9 AM and 3 PM, so avoiding shading during this period is high priority.

  14. A sun path calculator is used to evaluate shading at potential array locations.

  15. When the sun is in the northern part of the sky, shading can be caused by obstructions immediately north of an array.

  16. The Solar Pathfinder™ analyzes shading for potential array locations by comparing the reflections of potential obstructions on the horizon to a sun path diagram of the solar window.

  17. Marking the solar window obstructions on the removable sun path diagram creates a permanent record of shading for a particular location.

  18. A newer, electronic tool for shading analysis is the Solmetric SunEye.

  19. Hypothesize • Your home is facing north and a solar company pitches to you that if you add more panels on your roof, you will generate just as much electricity as a southern facing roof. Is this correct? • Take two minutes to connect this information on sun path and orientation o what we need to know about your home.

  20. Roofs should be inspected for signs of deterioration.

  21. The thickness of roof decking and covering can be determined by inspecting the edge of the roof under the eaves.

  22. Noticeable dips on roof surfaces may be a sign of underlying structural defects.

  23. Inverters and other system components should be located as close together as possible.

  24. A site layout drawing shows basic building dimensions and locations of major components.

  25. A load analysis is part of an energy audit, which is used to evaluate a customer’s energy use for stand-alone system sizing.

  26. Data monitoring may involve simple display panels or web sites interfaced with sophisticated data acquisition systems.

  27. Reflect • Take two minutes to summarize what you have learned in 4-6 sentences.

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