PowerPoint ® Presentation Chapter 3 Site Surveys and Preplanning Preliminary Assessment Safety Site Surveys Preparing Proposals Installation Planning

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The installer should meet with each customer to discuss available PV system options.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Common personal protective equipment (PPE) for preparing and installing PV systems includes head, eye, foot, and fall protection.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Lockout and tagout procedures are important parts of an electrical safety program.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A personal fall arrest system protects a worker from injuries from falling from sloped roofs or roofs with unprotected edges.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Fixed ladders often require cages and the use of PFASs to prevent workers from falling because the vertical orientation can be difficult to climb.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Information gathered during a site survey should be carefully documented.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A solar shading calculator is used to evaluate shading at potential array locations.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A variety of testing and measuring devices and marking equipment is used during site surveys.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The density of the module arrangement in an array affects the accessibility and the area required to produce a certain amount of power.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Roof slope is measured with an angle finder or calculated from the rise and run.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A compass is used to determine the orientation of a sloped roof surface.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The potential loss in receivable solar radiation from non-optimal orientations may not be significant.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Magnetic declination varies by location and changes slightly over time. Up-to-date maps are used to determine the necessary adjustment to magnetic compass readings.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Directional bearings from magnetic compasses must be adjusted for magnetic declination.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Shading of PV modules and arrays can cause disproportional reductions in power output.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Most of the daily solar energy is received between 9 AM and 3 PM, so avoiding shading during this period is high priority, especially during the summer.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning When the sun is in the northern part of the sky, which can occur at low latitudes during the summer, shading can be caused by obstructions immediately north of an array.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The Solar Pathfinder analyzes shading for potential array locations by comparing the reflections of potential obstructions on the horizon to a solar shading diagram of the solar window.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A permanent record of the shading for a particular location can be traced on the hard copy diagram or by photographing the diagram, which can then be analyzed by the Solar Pathfinder Assistant software to generate reports.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The Solmetric SunEye is an electronic shading analysis tool that includes an on-board camera with a fish-eye lens for photographing the entire sky and shading obstructions at once.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The SunEye’s on-board software can automatically analyze an all-sky photograph the obstructions that will shade a location at certain times of the day and year.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The altitude angle is the vertical angle to the top of an obstruction.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Altitude angles can be determined using a transit, a protractor, or by calculations from measurements.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The altitude angle method of shading analysis compares the altitude angle and azimuth angle of potential obstructions to a solar shading diagram.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The profile angle is the projection of the solar altitude angle onto an imaginary plane perpendicular to a shading surface or obstruction. This angle is used to calculate the length of shadows.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Profile angle calculations are particularly useful for arranging arrays consisting of multiple rows of modules installed at a tilt. The calculation determines the minimum row spacing to avoid modules shading each other at certain times of the day.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Inner row shading can be summarized in a separation distance chart.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Roofs should be inspected for signs of deterioration during a site survey.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning The thickness of roof decking and covering can be determined by inspecting the edge of the roof under the eaves.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Noticeable dips on roof surfaces may be a sign of underlying structural defects.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Inverters and other system components should be located as close together as possible.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A site layout drawing shows basic building dimensions and locations of major components.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning A load analysis is part of an energy audit, which is used to evaluate a customer’s energy use for sizing PV systems utilizing batteries.

Chapter 3 — Site Surveys and Preplanning Energy-use labels on new appliances include information on energy consumption and operating costs.