A method and apparatus for estimating capacity of a system including an energy generation system, an energy storage system or both. The method and apparatus initially estimate the system capacity based on a facility location and size. The initial estimate may be adjusted through adjustment of at least one parameter. An updated capacity estimate is generated and displayed.

Sustainable building lighting and energy modelling and control, and the associated computer graphics, including real-time dynamic lighting simulation, are concerned with: an optimized method for radiance modelling, including its application to predictive daylight harvesting; and the real-time simulation of physically-based electric lighting and daylighting for architectural, horticultural, and theatrical lighting systems visualization. In order to display and analyze in real time a photometrically accurate representation of an environment, thousands of lighting channels may have their intensity settings continually varied such that a user may interactively view the three-dimensional environment without the need for ongoing global illumination calculations. This can be accomplished utilizing texture maps as a multiplicity of canonical radiosity solutions, each representing a lighting channel for dynamic lighting simulation, and storing the solutions in the texture memory of a graphics processing unit.

An optimization engine determines an optimal configuration for a solar power system projected onto a target surface. The optimization engine identifies an alignment axis that passes through a vertex of a boundary associated with the target surface and then constructs horizontal or vertical spans that represent contiguous areas where solar modules may be placed. The optimization engine populates each span with solar modules and aligns the solar modules within adjacent spans to one another. The optimization engine then generates a performance estimate for a collection of populated spans. By generating different spans with different solar module types and orientations, the optimization engine is configured to identify an optimal solar power system configuration.

A method for controlling the orientation of a solar module (1) comprising a single-axis solar tracker (2) orientable about an axis of rotation (A), and a photovoltaic device (3) supported by said tracker and having upper and lower photoactive faces, comprising the followings steps:

measurement of a distribution of the solar luminance called incident luminance originating from the incident solar radiation coming from the sky to reach the upper face, said distribution being established according to several elevation angles;

measurement of a distribution of the solar luminance called reflected luminance originating from the albedo solar radiation corresponding to the reflection of the solar radiation on the ground to reach the lower face, said distribution being established according to several elevation angles;

determination of an optimum orientation considering the measurements of said distributions of the incident and reflected solar luminance;

servo-control of the orientation of the module on said optimum orientation.

A method may include obtaining current data from a sensor related to performance of a solar power generating device, and comparing the current data from the sensor to previously stored data to detect a decrease in expected power generation. The method may also include determining whether the decrease in expected power generation is designated a persistently occurring decrease, and, based on the designation of the decrease as being persistent, changing an orientation of the solar power generating device to a stowed orientation.

The subject disclosure relate to a method for calculating a wind sensitivity score. In some aspects, a method of implementing the technology can include steps for receiving wind speed information for a first geographic location over a first time period, receiving resource consumption data for each of a plurality of similar consumption locations in the first geographic location over the first time period; and generating a wind sensitivity model based on the wind speed information and the resource consumption data for each of the plurality of similar consumption locations. In some aspects, the method may further include steps for computing a wind sensitivity score for each of the similar consumption locations using the wind sensitivity model.

A method may include orienting a set of solar power units in a first position in which rows of solar power units are shaded by adjacent rows of solar power units; and monitoring energy generated by the set of solar power units over a window of time, that includes from when the set of solar power units are oriented in the first position until a sun angle corresponds to none of the rows being shaded by the adjacent rows. The method may include identifying a knee in energy generation during the first window of time, where the knee indicates a transition from higher to lower rates of change of energy generation at a given solar angle. The method may include plotting a trajectory of future orientation positions over time of the set of solar power units that include an orientation and time corresponding to the given solar angle.

Systems and methods that provide trackers and tracking assemblies having node managers, such as smart node managers are described herein. Aspects of the disclosure are directed to an autonomous energy distribution network including a plurality of solar tracker devices configured to receive solar energy and transform the solar energy into electrical energy, where each of the solar tracker devices is directly connected to a node in a power distribution grid. The network also includes a node manager configured to receive status information from the solar trackers, where the status information includes information regarding the state of the node to which each of the solar tracker device are directly connected.

A method for controlling the orientation of a solar module including a single-axis solar tracker orientable about an axis of rotation, and a photovoltaic device supported by said tracker and having upper and lower photoactive faces, including: measurement of a distribution of the solar luminance called incident luminance originating from the incident solar radiation coming from the sky to reach the upper face, said distribution being established according to several elevation angles; measurement of a distribution of the solar luminance called reflected luminance originating from the albedo solar radiation corresponding to the reflection of the solar radiation on the ground to reach the lower face, said distribution being established according to several elevation angles; determination of an optimum orientation considering the measurements of said distributions of the incident and reflected solar luminance; servo-control of the orientation of the module on said optimum orientation.

A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property is disclosed. The monitoring system includes a sensor that is configured to generate sensor data that reflects an attribute of the property; a solar panel that is configured to generate and output power; and a monitor control unit. The monitor control unit is configured to: monitor the power outputted by the solar panel; determine that the power outputted by the solar panel has deviated from an expected power range; based on determining that the power outputted by the solar panel has deviated from the expected power range, access the sensor data; based on the power outputted by the solar panel and the sensor data, determine a likely cause of the deviation from the expected power range; and determine an action to perform to remediate the likely cause of the deviation from the expected power range.