This page, like a collection of footnotes, is devoted to additional details with various discussion topics from other pages. The details go here (at least for now) in order to maintain the general flow on the "parent" page.
NREL IMBY additional discussion. Comments:
- The initial description of the tool is clear: "use IMBY to develop quick estimates of renewable energy production". The presence of the Google Earth graphics (and the statement that "map-based interface to allow you to choose the exact location of your PV array") may cause some user confusion in that drawing arrays in the shadows of trees or even the house does reduce the efficiency of the output - the tool's assumption is the array will be at the south facing orientation and the optimal angle and be unshaded. The "orientation inference" and shading adjustments would be difficult problems for the application to solve programmatically. But if the user is aware of these assumptions, all will be well.
- We assume the PV system being estimated is a grid intertie, though it is not clear from the tool.
- [placeholder - investigating pv costs]
|
|