Smart Cities: Plan, Deploy, Operate

Full integration of solar energy technologies in municipal and institutional energy planning.

Solar Resource Mapping

Finding the Available Solar Resource

Every community has access to clean energy. Effective use of solar energy on building roofs and walls requires a community to create an inventory of its available solar energy resource. At Green Power Labs we build urban solar resource maps to locate, and more importantly – to quantify, clean energy assets. These GIS based, interactive maps give municipal governments significant flexibility in considering the impact of clean energy generation opportunities on land use policies, structuring energy incentives, project development, urban planning, solar rights and access laws. Urban solar resource mapping is the first step needed to support clean energy deployment and sustainable energy planning. We maintain advanced and proprietary energy-related data sets and use advanced satellite – and LiDAR-based data capture and processing technologies. This allows our team to conduct solar resource mapping at substantially increased levels of accuracy over that of typical data available in the public domain.

Solar Generation Potential Assessment

Quantifying the Possibilities

Every community in the world has solar energy resource which – if used properly – can support community objectives to reduce carbon footprint, secure energy supply and create new industry. Combining the best available solar resource with knowledge of and expertise in best solar technology practices, we determine energy generating potential of community’s facilities and residential buildings and houses. Presented in easy to use interactive format, urban solar potential maps engage citizens and support decision making on policy initiatives and the practical implementation of clean energy strategies. This work can begin with one neighbourhood and expand across an entire community. The generating potential of new or existing facilities is a function of the available resource at the building, its architectural design, and the efficiency of energy technologies applied. Our assessment evaluates these elements to identify both the on-site renewable energy potential, and best practice strategies to integrate renewable energy into the community energy mix. This provides community-wide information on the potential for generating and using renewable energy, and identifies the buildings with the greatest potential for development of renewable resources.

Solar Asset Rating

An Effective System for Choosing Solar Sites

SolarStar™ Rating system for homes and facilities provides an objective measure of a building or home’s suitability to generate solar energy in a specific geographic location. The SolarStar™ Rating system provides a quick reference as to the solar resource potential of buildings, and may be used as a first step in selecting candidate buildings for solar electricity or hot water technologies.

Design

Getting it Right the First time

At Green Power Labs we focus on bridging the gap between solar technologies and their efficient deployment. As core members of integrated community energy planning teams, our energy engineers provide deep understanding of energy issues and specific expertise in on-site energy generation. This allows for an integrated approach to community wide energy generation. With our comprehensive, independent knowledge of solar applications and engineering expertise, Green Power Labs is uniquely positioned to address the practical problem of securing long term affordable, reliable and secure energy supply for a community.

Setting Standard for Performance

Based on our deep knowledge of the available solar resource and solar energy technology, we provide a baseline for the performance of community-wide solar generation assets to allow future performance comparisons.

Monitoring

Maximizing Performance over time.

We realize continued growth in solar deployment requires that municipal solar assets deliver on expected energy generation, ROI and GHG reductions. In addition to careful site selection, competent engineering and system installation, ongoing monitoring of the solar resource and energy output is required to minimize operational losses, maximize ROI, and communicate the results achieved to the general public. To support best practices in sustainable energy applications and position our client communities as leaders in renewable energy deployment, we provide a visual interface that allows citizens to see the resulting reduction in GHG/carbon emissions as a result of solar deployment in their communities.

Quality Assurance

Focus on Risk and Quality Management.

As technology solutions for solar power generation continue to dynamically change, our expertise in risk and quality management assures our clients of a successful deployment of solar power projects. We evaluate risks related to equipment performance, contractor competency, and establish installation standards. We develop and/or review project quality management system; system design reviews; contractor evaluations; cost control reviews and performance monitoring reviews.

Solar Yield Forecasting

SolarSatData™ for Cities: Solar power generation, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint forecasting software-as-a-service for community energy systems.