NREL

[Colin McGonagill]

I dont know if you have seen the NREL website. I have just downloaded their free SAM software. It is amazing. It has built in weather, financial, and system design parameters for everything under the sun. As a researcher, their quality is impeccable and the financial calculations aid with making decisions about solar. I am starting to overwhelmed with the information that can be gathered out there. I could spend years going through their research and not even scratch the surface for design.

http://www.nrel.gov/

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Colin,

Yup, they are a great institution. I've read a number of their publications, and learned a lot from them. There's quite a bit on wind turbines, solar etc.

-RoB-

[Dave Schwartz]

It seems similar to RETscreen (http://www.retscreen.net/ang/home.php) but without the Excel part :bigsmile:

I notice that they have no entries at all for SolarWorld (although they do have some former-life Shell Solar). RETscreen has some SolarWorld data but is missing more current models but at least you can edit in the values (didn't see a way to do that in SAM). I have 18 SW230 going up on my roof in a microFIT installation as I type this. For Canada, it seems to have access to the same datasets as RETscreen (extra downloads). Obviously the financial analysis would be only to confirm what RETscreen already told me.

[Colin McGonagill]

I am currently making my own weather program using EPW formats. My brain is in overload right now because of all the info I am digesting. I found out yesterday my ORC system can't compete with PV cells on a $/W bases if solar is the input source. I miss judged the solar spectrum that they were operating under. I am trying to write some new code to develop another method. Otherwise I am going to have to figure out how to get glazed panels for dirt cheap.