Researchers in Canada have developed an open-access online tool that reportedly allows homeowners to realize significant savings when deploying rooftop PV systems. The tool is claimed to provide accurate construction engineering calculations while ensuring compliance with building regulations.
Researchers from Canada’s Western University have developed a… open source online tool to streamline the engineering Ananalysis process for the deployment of a PV system on roofs.
“The tool could be easily adapted to other countries,” said the study’s lead author, Joshua M. Pearce pv magazine. “The snow load in Canada combined with regulations in Ontario means that following Canadian guidelines will generally be stricter Ansomewhere else. Unfortunately now in Ontario with houses with small ones solar systems, homeowners can spend more on the engineering Ananalysis by their roof than the solar panels. The biggest problem is what we pay for engineering Analysis for each And each home individually. This is redundant, which means that the Ananalysis for An identical roof is all the same. It is incredibly wasteful that this is done for every home.”
According to Pearce, the unique feature of the new online framework is its ability to speed up the process by engineering Ananalysis. “It would yield a lot by sense for Any government that wanted to encourage distributed energy roof solar to follow our example And do the Ananalysis for everyone by the most common roof types in their region to streamline the process And dramatically reduce costs for everyone. In addition, all houses must have the structural Analysis for one solarready house as part by the baseline structural Ananalysis that has been done Anyway for roofs.”
In the study “Streamlining construction compliance for rooftop photovoltaic installations using an open source approach”, published in Solar energyPearce and his colleagues explained that technical analyzes for rooftop PV systems in Canada come at a cost from $900 to $5,000 depending on location and complexity of the project.
Using the proposed tool, according to its creators, can allow Canadian homeowners to realize savings from 72% to 1,600% for plug-in PV systems and from 2% to 167% for installations that require a professional installer. “Even in the much larger market of the United States, this tool could be useful,” they said, noting that the total project capital cost of a residential system could be reduced by as much as 25%.
Image: Western University, Solar Energy, Common License CC BY 4.0
The tool requires users to create three documents to ensure they are eligible for rooftop installation: a PV roof classification form; a craft description and analysis form; and a questionnaire form. The users are also required to add images that validate the information in the forms. “While the images provide no scientific value, they do provide the information needed to verify that the claims made in the forms are correct,” the academics specified. “The package is then sent to local authorities, such as a city or municipal official, depending on the jurisdiction.”
The online tool is configured as a spreadsheet with input parameters such as material properties, roof dimensions and design loads. A minimum of five photos along with the three forms must be submitted to a local authority, which the researchers say would automatically eliminate the process of hiring a structural engineer. These procedures are said to provide ‘accurate’ structural engineering calculations while ensuring compliance with building regulations.
The research team also presented a case study for a typical homeowner looking to install a 5 kW PV system in Michigan, USA. System costs were estimated at $15,450 and additional engineering costs at approximately $3,000, with the project having a 15-year loan and the home being located in an area with below-average electricity costs and below-average solar radiation.
“With the use of the open source tool provided in this manuscript. homeowners would see their system paid for in 13 years, while without this system the simple payback period would be extended to 16 years,” the scientists explained. “Since the payback period is longer than the term of the loan, this system simply would not be installed without the open source tool because the homeowners cannot afford the additional cost of the engineering fees.”
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
