We are the 2014 NAU Capstone Team, JBOP Solutions. We consist of:
Ben Johnson - Team Leader and Document Manager
Rachel Pang - Sponsor/Mentor Communication
Steffen Olson - Webmaster
Taylor Born - Lead Algorithm Engineer
Seth Holland, the co-founder of Rooftop Solar, a Solar company located here in Flagstaff, and specializes in the design, sales and installation of solar energy systems.
The amount of solar energy produced by a solar module, is obviously dependent on the amount of sun the module has access to. Any amount of shade cast by an obstruction, like a tree or another building, will reduce the energy output of a module. In order to provide an accurate estimate of energy output, solar companies, such as Rooftop Solar, need to calculate the amount of shade that will fall on a module throughout the year. With current technology, they have to send a technician to a potential customers house, with a device called a SunEye in order to get an accurate estimate of the shade percentage on various parts of the roof. This is time consuming, expensive, and sending technicians up on a roof is a liability.
We will be working closely with Seth Holland of Rooftop Solar to develop a web application, that integrates Google Maps, to produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of shade that affects a solar energy system throughout the year. This system will be faster, more cost effective, and much safer.