Shading by trees and surrounding buildings is a big concern for homeowners and businesses when they’re considering going solar. Fear not, however, because we use Aurora Solar to ensure that your array will work efficiently!
So, what is it?
Aurora Solar is a tool we use to assess the shade at your site remotely. It provides the fastest and highest quality shade reports compared to outdated onsite shade tools like the Solar Pathfinder. This helps us determine accurate energy production estimates that you can trust as a solar customer.
How does Aurora Solar software work?
Aurora uses your home or business address, monthly electricity usage and utility company information. It then pulls up satellite imagery of your site that shows nearby shade obstructions with LiDAR technology. LiDAR is a remote sensing tool to help measure obstructions by emitting light that travels to the ground and reflects off of trees, buildings etc. The time it takes for the light to be emitted and reflected back is converted to elevation of nearby sun blocks.
Using this, we are able to start designing your array by:
- determining right amount of panels needed to offset any lost energy production from shade
- finding the best location of your array to have the most sun exposure throughout the year
- mapping out the placement of the inverters and meters
Once the design process is finished, we calculate energy production estimates that are incredibly accurate to what your array output will be once installed. In fact, Aurora Solar estimates are validated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)!
Watch this video for a more in-depth presentation of how Aurora Solar software works.
If a concern about shading is holding you back from going solar, we have the tools and knowledge to provide the best solar solution for you using Aurora Solar.
If you or another business is interested in having an undeniable impact on your triple bottom line give us a call for a free consultation to see if solar is right for you! Call (248) 923-3456 or request a Free Online Solar Analysis for Your Business.
Michigan Solar Solutions is a commercial and residential solar installer and electrical contractor that has served the lower peninsula of Michigan since 2007. We have installed thousands of panels and have a happy customer near you, check out what our customers think of us Guild Quality.