Solar Energy Assessment for Community Energy Planning

Solar Energy Assessment for Community Energy Planning

Solar Energy Assessment for Community Energy Planning

Dr. Alexandre Pavlovski, P. Eng., Green Power Labs Inc.Leonardo ENERGY Webinar - March 20, 2009

OverviewOverview

• Green Power Labs – Brief Introduction

• Community Energy Planning – Why Solar?

• Solar Resource Mapping based on Historical and Current Climatology Trends

• Community Solar Suitability Mapping and SolarStar™ Rating

• Solar Suitability Assessment of Buildings and Houses

• SolarRating Online

Green Power Labs: Fields of ActivitiesGreen Power Labs: Fields of Activities

• High resolution mapping, monitoring and forecasting of solar energy resources

• Development of GIS-based decision support systems for community energy planning

• Solar suitability assessment and rating of commercial and residential buildings and communities

• Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems engineering

Courtesy of Young + Wright Architects Inc.

Community Energy Planning:Why Start with Solar?

Community Energy Planning:Why Start with Solar?

• Solar energy is always “in your hands”: you can take advantage of it or waste it

• Available solar resource is a unique asset of every architectural design

• Solar technologies can be matched with essential community energy needs

Courtesy of Young + Wright Architects Inc.

Energy Prices and Lifecycle Costs: Solar Can Help

Energy Prices and Lifecycle Costs: Solar Can Help

• Rising energy prices have dramatically increased building lifecycle costs.

• Solar technologies for heating and power generation are a viable option to reduce these costs.

• It is estimated over 1000 square miles of commercial roof space is available in the United States for on-site solar energy generation.

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• using our high resolution mapping and advanced imagery of site specific obstructions.

Courtesy of Young + Wright Architects Inc.

• Latitude

• Microclimate

• Altitude

• Natural Landscape

• Built Environment

• Technology Efficiency

Solar Energy Availability: System of Filters

Solar Resource Mappingbased on

Historical and Current Climatology Trends

Solar Resource Mappingbased on

Historical and Current Climatology Trends

Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Nova Scotia

Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Nova Scotia

-66 -65 -64 -63 -62 -61 -60

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Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Quebec

Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Quebec

Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Ontario

Historical Solar Climatology for the province of Ontario

GPLI developed ArcGIS toolset for mapping solar irradiance from satellite images

Current Solar Climatology for Strait-Highlands Region,

Nova Scotia (2007)

Current Solar Climatology for Strait-Highlands Region,

Nova Scotia (2007)January February

March April

1.2520.871

1.9871.324

3.1242.209

4.3363.523

4.6833.797

5.7134.256

May June

July August

5.5044.563

5.2274.150

September October

November December

4.0083.233

2.5271.868

1.2060.952

0.7990.582

3.162

2.803

kWh/m2/day

61 0’ 0” Wo 60 0’ 0” Wo

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460’

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Solar Suitability Mapping and SolarStar™ Rating

Solar Suitability Mapping and SolarStar™ Rating

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova ScotiaDalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

• The largest post-secondary educational institution in the Maritime Provinces

• A member of G13, a group of leading research-intensive universities in Canada

• Student enrolment - 10,254 full-time undergraduate and 2,793 full-time graduate students (for 2007-08)

• Infrastructure – over 60 facilities

Dalhousie University: 10-year Comprehensive Master Plan Dalhousie University: 10-year Comprehensive Master Plan

Major Objectives:• To guide improvements in space

utilization and development• To guide capital budgeting and project

implementation• To support the University’s strategic

directions of sustainable development

Campus Energy Mapping – an integral part of Dalhousie master planning process

LIDAR-based Digital Elevation Site Model and 3D Visualisation

LIDAR-based Digital Elevation Site Model and 3D VisualisationDalhousie University Campus, Halifax

LIDAR – derived Digital Elevation Model allows for reconstruction of site features at ultra-high resolution

Campus-wide Solar Gain

Campus-wide Solar Gain

Mapping accuracies: 15 - 25 cm

SolarStar™ Suitability RatingSolarStar™ Suitability Rating

• Allows for easy comparison of commercial and residential properties for their suitability to solar energy generation.

• Creates a standard for building professionals and the general public

• Creates a convenient tool for labeling on-site solar energy generation potential

SolarStar™ Suitability Ratingof the Campus Buildings

SolarStar™ Suitability Ratingof the Campus Buildings

Solar Energy Generation Potential - Roofs(Solar Water Heating)

Solar Energy Generation Potential - Roofs(Solar Water Heating)

Solar Energy Generation Potential - Walls(Solar Air Heating)

Solar Energy Generation Potential - Walls(Solar Air Heating)

Solar Energy Generation PotentialSolar Energy Generation Potential

Area (m2) Total Annual

Solar Resource (MWh)

Energy Generation

Potential (MWh)

Solar Suitable Roof Surface: 44,142 57,116 9,400 (SWH)

Solar Suitable Wall Surface: 23,182 22,903 12,600 (SAH)

TOTAL 80,019 22,000

Existing heavy fuel oil consumption by central heating plant:average annual consumption of oil: 161,634 MWhdelivered at 65% efficiency:            105,062 MWhPossible solar share in heat supply: 21%

Solar Suitability Assessment of Buildings and Houses

Solar Suitability Assessment of Buildings and Houses

Site-SpecificSolar Suitability Assessment

Site-SpecificSolar Suitability Assessment

• A mandatory step in efficient deployment of solar technologies

• Recommended for existing buildings or those still in the design stage

• Allows for a well-informed decision on investment in solar technologies

• Determines the applicability and the best mix of solar technologies

• Enhances solar system engineering

Courtesy of WHW Architects

Solar Microclimate and System EngineeringSolar Microclimate and System Engineering

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Solar resource available (% of max)

Solar Suitability Assessment ToolsetSolar Suitability Assessment Toolset

• Accurately reflects solar micro climate based on high resolution satellite-derived radiation data

• Incorporates advanced imagery of site specific obstructions and their impact on solar radiation

• Forecasts solar system performance

• Defines solar system payback period and return on investment

• Defines reduction in carbon emissions

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper BuildingSolar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Building

• Solar water heating

• Solar air heating 

Solar Water

Heating

Solar Air Heating

Capital: $220,000 $160,000

Production: 40-50% of DHW

30% of heat load

GHG Reduction:

29 t/y 51 t/y

Payback Period:

12 years 6-7 years

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Building

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Building

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Killam Memorial Library

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Killam Memorial Library

  SWH SAH

Capital: $96,000 $110,000

Production: 40-50% of DHW 39% of heat

GHG Reduction: 14 t/y 39 t/y

Payback Period: 10-11 years 5-6 years

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Killam Memorial Library

Solar Suitability Assessment: Dalhousie University, Killam Memorial Library

SolarRating Online for Solar Education and Promotion

SolarRating Online for Solar Education and Promotion

Green Power Labs created this interactive, educational online assessment tool to support efficient use of solar energy.

Thank YouThank You

ampavlovski@greenpowerlabs.comwww.greenpowerlabs.com

1 Research Drive Dartmouth Nova Scotia Canada B2Y 4M9

902 466 6475