How to determine solar exposure during a day? I wonder if there is an app or device that can determine the sun exposure of one spot.

[DougInParaguay]

Hi! I live on a north facing hill in the southern hemisphere with lots of trees. In order to determine which semi open spot would be the best place to install solar panels and to estimate how much sun the spot receives during the day I am looking for an app/device/manner that can measure the sun exposure during the day. I tried to google it but without success ( I filtered out words like film, photography). We have cheap energy from the grid, but it's not the most reliable. So we are considering buying a lithium battery to pass blackouts but in addition the possibility to add some solar panels as there is plenty of sun here.

 

[MisterSandals]

Like this?

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

 

[Supervstech]

Project Sunroof

Enter a state, county, city, or zip code to see a solar estimate for the area, based on the amount of usable sunlight and roof space.

sunroof.withgoogle.com

 

[Texas-Mark]

Unless I am reading it wrong, I think the OPer is trying to find out what specific spot would be best (i.e. free from tree shading, etc).

 

[DougInParaguay]

Unless I am reading it wrong, I think the OPer is trying to find out what specific spot would be best (i.e. free from tree shading, etc).

Precisely!

 

[meetyg]

You can get a Solar Irradiance meter and check. Maybe some of them have a data logging feature which would enable you to measure throughout the day.

 

[Texas-Mark]

If you are just trying to find where the sun is hitting, what I have done is gone out and set some of those landscaping wire flags at the shade line at various times of the day.

 

[Supervstech]

Unless I am reading it wrong, I think the OPer is trying to find out what specific spot would be best (i.e. free from tree shading, etc).

That is the purpose of the link I made…
It is designed for roof output, but you can use the imagery to get an idea from nearby structures.

 

[Supervstech]

Of course, it isn’t close to perfect, and it hasn’t calculated everyplace on earth… my mom’s place near rock hill SC isn’t on the map yet… likely only more populated towns are covered…

 

[DougInParaguay]

You can get a Solar Irradiance meter and check. Maybe some of them have a data logging feature which would enable you to measure throughout the day.

Thank you! This meter is something I could consider buying. Also known as a Solar Power Meter. I was not familiar with these devices names.

 

[stratmister]

Project Sunroof

Enter a state, county, city, or zip code to see a solar estimate for the area, based on the amount of usable sunlight and roof space.

sunroof.withgoogle.com

This is a good resource

 

[wattmatters]

You can simulate shading objects (e.g. trees, buildings etc) with Pylon Observer. See my previous post showing some examples:

Location matters.

You see a lot of guides that you can access online that give you an average amount of productive sunlight hours for solar power generation for your geographic location and time of year. They are handy but they do not tell the whole story. This came to me as I was enjoying my morning coffee out...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Zwy]

For site evaluation, I used the Sunshine Compass app and also this website . Both worked extremely well for site evaluation.

The website is accurate to determine possible shading thru the day from structures, trees or other tall objects. It does have a little bit of a learning curve but once you figure out how it shows the shadow line thru a day it is priceless.

Use the app to find locations that will give you good sun thru the year and the website to ensure shading won't be a problem.

 

[ChrisG]

If you have an iPhone this app is awesome. You can stand in a spot and using AR view the sun track, even select what it would be on specific days of the year. Very damn accurate

SunOnTrack: Sun Path & Shadows

SunOnTrack transforms your device into a professional tool for planning sunlight, the sun’s position, path and shadows for every place in the world (and at every time) accurately, on the map or in AR. Whether for photography, real estate, your new flat or house, gardening, photovoltaics or all...

apps.apple.com

 

[Danke]

That is the purpose of the link I made…
It is designed for roof output, but you can use the imagery to get an idea from nearby structures.

Does that link numbers account for shading from nearby obstacles, trees, etc?

 

[sunchaser1]

If you have an iPhone this app is awesome. You can stand in a spot and using AR view the sun track, even select what it would be on specific days of the year. Very damn accurate

SunOnTrack: Sun Path & Shadows

SunOnTrack transforms your device into a professional tool for planning sunlight, the sun’s position, path and shadows for every place in the world (and at every time) accurately, on the map or in AR. Whether for photography, real estate, your new flat or house, gardening, photovoltaics or all...

apps.apple.com

Hey! Thanks! The Sunnytrack app has a new name and is now: SunOnTrack - https://www.sunontrack.app/