Method and system for optimizing the configuration of a solar power system

Abstract

An optimization engine determines an optimal configuration for a solar power system projected onto a target surface. The optimization engine identifies an alignment axis that passes through a vertex of a boundary associated with the target surface and then constructs horizontal or vertical spans that represent contiguous areas where solar modules may be placed. The optimization engine populates each span with solar modules and aligns the solar modules within adjacent spans to one another. The optimization engine then generates a performance estimate for a collection of populated spans. By generating different spans with different solar module types and orientations, the optimization engine is configured to identify an optimal solar power system configuration.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for determining a configuration of a solar power system projected onto a target surface, the method comprising:
 constructing an alignment axis across the target surface;   projecting a first span and a second span onto the target surface, wherein both the first span and the second span are parallel to the alignment axis;   populating the first span with a first set of solar modules;   populating the second span with a second set of solar modules; and   aligning the second set of solar modules with the first set of solar modules to form a first solar module array.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein constructing the alignment axis across the target surface comprises:
 identifying a vertex of a boundary associated with the target surface; and   projecting the alignment axis across the vertex either horizontally or vertically.   
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein each solar module included in the first set of solar modules and each solar module included in the second set of solar modules is disposed according to a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein aligning the second set of solar modules with the first set of solar modules comprises:
 determining that the first set of solar modules includes a greater number of solar modules than the second set of solar modules; and   positioning each solar module in the second set of solar modules to have at least one side collinear with one side of a different solar module in the first set of solar modules.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 projecting a third span onto the target surface parallel to the alignment axis;   populating the third span with a third set of solar modules; and   positioning each solar module in the third set of solar modules to have at least one side collinear with one side of a different solar module in the second set of solar modules.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying the first solar module array including the first and second sets of solar modules and generating a performance estimate for the first solar module array. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the performance estimate is based on one or more of (i) a location and/or orientation of the target surface, (ii) a solar module type within the first solar module array, (iii) a utility rate corresponding to the location of the target surface, (iv) an amount of irradiance and/or net shading associated with each solar module within the first solar module array, (v) historical weather data, and (vi) one or more power flow simulators that account for solar module electrical wiring and topology.