Hi William, I like that idea a lot. If you went through and subtracted off the shaded numbers for each of the Pathfinder readings on the same spreadsheet you could get the cumulative shading for a string across those reading locations. The Pathfinder Assistant should be able to do that, too. I like to use the Assistant Software so I can account for pitch and orientation. If there's a big tree to the east but my roof is facing west the shading won't count for much. With the manual Pathfinder it's tough to put a number to that, but the Assistant software can do it. It just won't allow for string shading.
Thanks, Dana Dana Brandt Ecotech Energy Systems, LLC www.ecotechenergy.com [email protected] 360.318.7646 On Tue, Oct 28, 2014 at 10:48 PM, William Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > 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.) > > > > > > [image: Gradient Cap_mini] > Lic 773985 > millersolar.com <http://www.millersolar.com/> > 805-438-5600 > > > > *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:[email protected]] *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 > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > List Address: [email protected] > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > >
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