Conergy, one of the world’s leading solar system manufacturers, today launched its ‘Conergizer’ tool in the UK to coincide with the start of Green Building Week. The online systems planning tool helps users work out the best solar solution for any roof – aesthetically, financially and in terms of pure kilowatt power generation potential. The move is expected to enable the viability of many solar projects in the UK that have previously been discounted because buildings are not south-facing or roofs have chimneys or other obstructions, and to increase awareness of best practice solar installations.
Available for free at conergizer.co.uk, the software allows users to enter building data such as location, dimensions, roof type and obstacles (such as windows, chimneys etc.) to create an attractive 3D graphical model. A simulation of sunlight over the course of the year highlights areas of shading so solar panels can be positioned accordingly.
“Solar can be a great investment if you put the right panels in the right places,” said Robert Goss, Managing Director of Conergy in the UK. “The Conergizer will help people work out just how much they can make from their rooftops, whether they’re in Aberdeen or the Scilly Isles.”
Climatic conditions for the whole of Great Britain have been mapped, including maximum wind and snowloads, supporting decisions on what type of frames are best employed. The system then takes into account the building’s orientation and tilt of the panels in relation to the sun, as well as obstacles such as chimneys and dormer windows and local sunlight data, to accurately forecast power generation for the year. This enables detailed estimates of the end-customer’s return on investment, based on the cost and size of the installation, its feed-in-tariff, expected off-grid energy use and energy prices, and the customer’s individual financing arrangements.
