<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">One more visualization option attached... had to wait to get to my office PC... Using the ShadowProjector plugin, you can project lines onto the surface to show the shadows at various times of day. I did this for each hour, on the hour from 8am - 3pm local time.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">You can do some pretty amazing things with Sketchup with shadows cast UPON solar panels as well, rather than BY solar panels. There are plugins to calculate how much shade is cast upon a surface in percentage terms at any given time of day. The ways you can extend Sketchup is amazing.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">By the way, I'm headed to the Sketchup 3D Basecamp conference in April in Vail, CO. Anyone else planning on attending? I went last year and my modeling skills went through the roof.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Mac mentioned that Sketchup is a Google product. That is no longer the case. Trimble bought Sketchup in 2012. Fortunately, they continue to support and develop it like Google did with the same core group of developers. I expect in the coming years that Trimble will more tightly integrate some of their hardware and software products and expand possibilities even more.</div>
<br><div id="WISESTAMP_SIG_gmail_session"><div style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="margin:0 0 8px 0"><p style="margin:0"><span><span>Jason Szumlanski</span></span></p><p style="margin:0">
</p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;display:inline">Fafco Solar</div><br> <p></p><div style="clear:both"></div></div><img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixview.gif?p=chrome&v=3.31.0&t=1392653444340&u=ce9344a8140ce271" width="1" height="1"></div>
</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 9:45 AM, Jason Szumlanski <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jason@fafcosolar.com" target="_blank">jason@fafcosolar.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Here's the Sketchup animation output from the same model with three arrays at 35'6" spacing from 8am - 3pm.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">
<br></div><div class="gmail_default"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofBmpk1tQ7Q" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofBmpk1tQ7Q</a></font><br></div><br><br><div>
<div style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px"><p style="margin:0px"><span><span>Jason Szumlanski</span></span></p><div style="clear:both"></div></div><img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixview.gif?p=chrome&v=3.31.0&t=1392647821615&u=ce9344a8140ce271" width="1" height="1"></div>
</div></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 7:26 PM, Jason Szumlanski <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jason@fafcosolar.com" target="_blank">jason@fafcosolar.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I would never present something like this to a customer, but this is just a quick and dirty estimation based on the criteria given at 48.5N, 85.0W with the panels oriented to true south and tilted to 35º, ground slope down to 112.5º azimuth at a slope of 7º.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The area shown as gray would have shade at some point between the hours of 8am and 3pm.</div>
<div><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">It's not shown in the image, but if you wanted the next array to be precisely true north from the first, you would need to put it about 35'6" away to ensure zero shading on the winter solstice.</div>
<div><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I used Canadian Solar CS6P modules at 65.5" x 38.7" with 1" spacing between panels.</div><br><br><div>
<div style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="margin:0 0 8px 0"><p style="margin:0"><span><span>Jason Szumlanski</span></span><br> </p><div style="clear:both"></div></div><img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixview.gif?p=chrome&v=3.31.0&t=1392596180963&u=eb875d38140ce271" width="1" height="1"></div>
</div></div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 5:57 PM, Jason Szumlanski <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jason@fafcosolar.com" target="_blank">jason@fafcosolar.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I third the use of Sketchup. I use it every day from design, to presentation, to permitting, to construction documents.</div>
<div><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">
Below are links to a few images of a recent 3D model I did. The goal here was to have a 10 degree tilt angle and have no shade on the next row on December 21 at 9:00am. Turns out I need 1' 9" spacing to do that in Naples, FL.</div>
<div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-46-16.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-46-16.jpg</a></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-43-22.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-43-22.jpg</a></div>
<div class="gmail_default"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-53-19.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-02-16_17-53-19.jpg</a></font><br>
</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"></div></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The same concepts can be applied to a sloping surface. In fact, if you have a survey, you can trace the contour lines (or get them in CAD preferably) and create a pretty precise sloping terrain.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I know Chris already offered to help, but I'd like to take a stab at it, too, to see how close our answers are.</div>
<br></div><br><div><div style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px"><p style="margin:0px"><span><span>Jason Szumlanski</span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0px"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;display:inline">Fafco Solar</div><p></p><p style="margin:0px"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;display:inline">
</div><br><p></p><div style="clear:both"></div></div><img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixview.gif?p=chrome&v=3.31.0&t=1392590392558&u=eb875d38140ce271" width="1" height="1"></div></div><div class="gmail_extra">
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 5:11 PM, Mac Lewis <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:maclewis1@gmail.com" target="_blank">maclewis1@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">I second Chris's suggestion of Sketchup. Its very easy to use and does a great job modeling stuff like this. There is a free version from Google that is more than adequate for this.<div><br></div><div>
Good luck.</div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 3:08 PM, Chris Mason <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:cometenergysystems@gmail.com" target="_blank">cometenergysystems@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div dir="ltr">I use Sketchup for these calculations now. It will do real shadows at any time of any day you want.<div>
If you are not familiar with it, send me the exact Google Earth coordinates and I will mock something up for you.</div>
</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 5:35 PM, Bob Clark <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bclark@solar-wind.us" target="_blank">bclark@solar-wind.us</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">Wrenches:<br>
<br>
I have a customer who wants 40 solar modules on ground mounts (not poles) in an area that slopes to the ESE at 7 degrees. Putting these modules on one ground mount assembly so that the modules are in a 0 degree slope East to West would leave the east end about 20 feet in the air. Not acceptable as the customer wants a profile as low as possible for aesthetic reasons plus the wind can be quite strong on occasion.<br>
<br>
So, I am trying to figure out how far apart 5, 8 module sub-arrays (landscape orientation 2 E-W by 4 N-S tilted at 35 degrees S from the horizontal) would have to be North to South and East to West so that they are low profile yet do not shade each other on the winter solstice at 48.5 degrees N latitude. These calculations are complicated by the ground sloping to the ESE at 7 degrees.<br>
<br>
Can anyone point to an online calculator that takes into account the slope of the ground? Or can anyone help me with the geometry of this situation. I have gone around in circles and thoroughly confused myself.<br>
<br>
Thanks in advance.<br>
<br>
Bob Clark<br>
<a href="mailto:bclark@solar-wind.us" target="_blank">bclark@solar-wind.us</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div></div></div></div><div><span><font color="#888888">-- <br>Chris Mason<div>President, Comet Systems Ltd</div><div><a href="http://www.cometenergysystems.com" target="_blank">www.cometenergysystems.com</a></div>
<div>Cell: <a href="tel:264.235.5670" value="+12642355670" target="_blank">264.235.5670</a></div>
<div>Skype: netconcepts</div>
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</blockquote></div><br><div><br></div><div><font color="#305A78" face="'times new roman', serif"><br></font></div><div><br></div></div></div>Mac Lewis<br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;color:rgb(255,153,0)"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><p align="left">
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