Category: Tag: Solar energy
Fig. 1: An Energy3D model of the SAS solar farmFig. 2: Daily production data (Credit: Xan Gregg)SAS, a software company based in Cary, NC, is powered by a solar farm consisting of solar panel arrays driven by horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT) with…
Fig. 1: HSAT and VSAT.Energy3D now supports three major types of solar trackers: Horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT), vertical single-axis trackers (VSAT), and altazimuth dual-axis trackers (AADAT). I have blogged about HSAT and AADAT earlier. Figur…
Fig. 1 2D view of Concord Consortium building in Energy3DSolar design depends on accurate geometry. Rooftop solar panel design requires accurate 3D models of buildings, for example the shape of the roof, the height of the building, and the surrounding …
In the last post, I have blogged about modeling dual-axis solar trackers in Energy3D. To be more precise, the trackers shown in that blog post are altitude-azimuth (Alt/Az), or altazimuth trackers, or AADAT in short. In this post, I will introduce a ty…
Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems generate electricity using arrays of mirrors to concentrate sunlight shed on a large area onto a small area. The concentrated light is converted into thermal energy, which then drives a heat engine connected to an…
Fig.1: Solar simulation in Energy3D.Solarize Mass is a program launched by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that seeks to increase the adoption of small-scale solar electricity in participating communities. In 2016, the towns of Natick and Bolton …
Modeling 1,000 PV panels in a desertSolar radiation simulationWe have just added new modeling capacities to our Energy3D software for simulating photovoltaic (PV) power stations. With these additions, the latest version of the software can now simulate…
The annual yield and cost benefit analyses of rooftop solar panels based on sound scientific and engineering principles are critical steps to the financial success of building solarization. Google’s Project Sunroof provides a way for millions of proper…
So we have signed the Paris Agreement and cheered about it. Now what?More than a year ago, I wrote a proposal to the National Science Foundation to test the feasibility of empowering students to help combat the energy issues of our nation. There are hu…
Fig. 1 3D model of a real house near Boston (2,150 sq ft). On August 3, 2015, President Obama announced the Clean Power Plan – a landmark step in reducing carbon pollution from power plants that takes real action on climate change. Producing clean energy from rooftop solar panels can greatly mitigate the problems in […]