[RE-wrenches] Pathfinder vs. Suneye

[William Miller]

Dana:

 

You can evaluate multiple points with a Pathfinder, thusly:

 

1.    In case you were not aware, the little numbers in between the hours add up to 100% over a day.

2.    Create a spreadsheet with all of the numbers present.  Make it mimic the layout on the Pathfinder.

3.    For any given sample, you delete all of the numbers that correspond to shading.  This is easily done by viewing the image of the pathfinder and lassoing and deleting the shaded numbers until the spreadsheet looks like the Pathfinder.

4.    The remainder is the sun exposure percentage for the month.

5.    You take shading analysis samples at all of the points you desire.

6.    You calculate each point separately and then average the results for the different points on a month-by-month basis.

7.    See example spreadsheet below for one point with no shading.

 

Like any worthwhile project, this takes some time to set up, but it is then pretty effortless to use.  There is no cost for this do=it-yourself approach.

 

William

 

Example:

(Note the rows in the Pathfinder are not in chronological order. Your formulae will compensate for that.)

 



 

Gradient Cap_mini
Lic 773985
 <http://www.millersolar.com/> millersolar.com
805-438-5600

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Dana Brandt
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 2:20 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Pathfinder vs. Suneye

 

Hi Wrenches,

We've been using the Pathfinder along with the Pathfinder Assistant software for several years and mostly like it. My concern with it is there's no way to combine two or three shading images to account for a string of modules spanning those different shading conditions. I've spoken with the Pathfinder folks and they don't seem to understand or acknowledge that limitation. How have you dealt with this?

So I bought a Suneye. Their software can apparently calculate string shading including multiple solar access readings. 

I took both the Pathfinder and the Suneye out on my next site assessment and have run the results of side by side measurements. The Suneye is showing about 10-15% better solar access for each measurement that the Pathfinder Assistant software. I'm concerned to see such different numbers. Has anyone else done a side by side comparison? What have you seen?

 

Thanks,



Dana

Dana Brandt



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