Site evaluation process overview

The environmental conditions, power needs of users, the type of structure and the budget vary for each off-grid PV project. A site evaluation is the process of gathering information, photographs, and drawings of the location for the proposed project to understand whether an PV is best way to provide power and if a project will be feasible. The site evaluation begins with the initial conversation that is had about the system and will continue until the design is completed. It is ideal to make the process as efficient and simple as possible to avoid lost time and unnecessary expense, but as a potential project progresses a visit to the physical location is necessary for all but the simplest projects. A visit to the location and an evaluation through the eyes of someone that understands PV systems can provide vital information to inform the design that is often not possible to obtain any other way. The site evaluation process can be divided into two main phases:

1. Load evaluation: The gathering of information about the current power needs (AC and DC) and potential future power needs. The load evaluation will determine the type of system, the size of the necessary components and the cost of the system. In order to properly perform a load evaluation for a system that will have AC loads, it is necessary to understand two related concepts: Surge loads and Power factor.
2. Physical evaluation: The gathering of information about the geographic location, weather, solar resource, the building/structure and potential siting for the PV system components. This information will inform critical decisions about the PV source, mounting system and energy storage system.

A load evaluation is often the best place to start evaluating a potential project site as it can quickly raise questions about feasibility and cost. That being said, these steps may be performed in any order or may be performed together in one visit to the physical location.