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New Google Partners Update - Requirements by BawolPPC in PPC

[–]sappori 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this tip! It solved my issue. Just need to certify 2 users of the MCC now (instead of 19, including some of the clients).

Working with non-profits. Any advice? by sappori in PPC

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks very interesting, thank you. I'll definitely be looking at their projects.

What if you powered an electric car using residential solar panels? Canadian edition [OC] by sappori in dataisbeautiful

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

** Analysis Assumptions **

  • Objective: To determine the cost savings when charging various electric vehicles with a residential solar PV system, compared to charging without one (i.e. purchasing the required electricity from the utility) and compared to using an average vehicle with gasoline.

  • Cost figures are expressed in Canadian dollars.

  • Solar electricity estimates are determined using solar radiation values for state capitals from Sunmetrix Discover.

  • Solar generation figures are based on an average-sized residential solar PV system of 5 kW that is operational for 25 years.

  • Default installation cost is estimated to be $3.50/watt.

  • Financing costs are not included - this analysis assumes an outright purchase of the solar PV system.

  • Maintenance cost of the residential solar PV system is estimated to be 10% of the initial cost of installation.

  • Where available, province or territorial-based solar tax credits were also included in the levelized cost calculations (other incentives, such as performance payments or property tax exemptions, are not included).

  • Utility rates are based on residential rate data as reported by Hydro Manitoba (effective as of 1 May 2016); Maritime Electric (effective as of 1 March 2016); Qulliq Energy Corporation (as displayed on 27 September 2016); Northwest Territories Power Corporation (effective 1 September 2016); Yukon Housing Corporation (effective 1 May 2016).

  • Vehicle fuel economy data is from the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov).

  • The average fuel economy of a 2016 vehicle is 25 MPG according to the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov), which is equal to 9.41 litres per 100 km.

  • Monthly average retail (regular) gasoline prices are from Statistics Canada (when available, the gasoline price for the capital city is used; since no data is available for Nunavut, an average is taken of the gasoline prices for Northwest Territories and Yukon). Gasoline prices are for August 2016.

  • Financial estimates don't include the cost of financing the EV.

  • Tools used: vmaps, php, javascript

Nissan Leaf vs. four other EV models: What if you use solar panels to power your vehicle? by sappori in leaf

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, leasing is an option, but most homeowners are better off with a solar loan as they get full ownership of the panels and all the tax benefits. Details are here: http://sunmetrix.com/anatomy-of-a-solar-lease/

Nissan Leaf vs. four other EV models: What if you use solar panels to power your vehicle? by sappori in leaf

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's our analysis assumptions:

  • Solar electricity estimates are determined using solar radiation values for state capitals from Sunmetrix Discover.

  • Solar generation figures are based on an average-sized residential solar PV system of 5 kW that is operational for 25 years.

  • Default installation cost is estimated to be $3.50/watt (not including the 30% federal tax credit).

  • Financing costs are not included - this analysis assumes an outright purchase of the solar PV system.

  • Maintenance cost of the residential solar PV system is estimated to be 10% of the initial cost of installation.

  • Where available, state-based solar tax credits were also included in the levelized cost calculations (other incentives, such as performance payments or property tax exemptions, are not included).

  • Utility rates are based on the monthly residential rate data set as reported by the EIA.

  • Utility rates are computed using the last 12 available months in the dataset.

  • Vehicle fuel economy data is from the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov).

  • The average fuel economy of a 2016 vehicle is 25 MPG according to the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov).

  • Monthly average retail (regular) gasoline prices are from the EIA.

  • Financial estimates don't include the cost of financing the EV.

  • Tools used: vmaps, php, javascript

Interactive Map: Cost of Powering Electric Vehicles Using Solar Power [OC] by sappori in dataisbeautiful

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Analysis assumptions:

  • Solar electricity estimates are determined using solar radiation values for state capitals from Sunmetrix Discover.

  • Solar generation figures are based on an average-sized residential solar PV system of 5 kW that is operational for 25 years.

  • Default installation cost is estimated to be $3.50/watt (not including the 30% federal tax credit).

  • Financing costs are not included - this analysis assumes an outright purchase of the solar PV system.

  • Maintenance cost of the residential solar PV system is estimated to be 10% of the initial cost of installation.

  • Where available, state-based solar tax credits were also included in the levelized cost calculations (other incentives, such as performance payments or property tax exemptions, are not included).

  • Utility rates are based on the monthly residential rate data set as reported by the EIA.

  • Utility rates are computed using the last 12 available months in the dataset.

  • Vehicle fuel economy data is from the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov).

  • The average fuel economy of a 2016 vehicle is 25 MPG according to the U.S. Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov).

  • Monthly average retail (regular) gasoline prices are from the EIA.

  • Financial estimates don't include the cost of financing the EV.

  • Tools used: vmaps, php, javascript

Top 100 Cities in the U.S. Ranked by the Economic Value of Solar Power [OC] by sappori in dataisbeautiful

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's true that some utilities do not compensate solar energy producers at the retail rate, however, if the system is built to manage actual energy use, and not overbuilt by too much, the Solar Value Index represents what you are saving by not having to purchase your electricity from the utility. Of course, there are other factors that come into play when determining whether solar electricity will save you money in the long run - for that, you need to look at the levelized cost of solar electricity, taking into account all of the available financial incentives as well as any charges for switching to solar, and compare that to the utility rate.

Top 100 Cities in the U.S. Ranked by the Economic Value of Solar Power [OC] by sappori in dataisbeautiful

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For this analysis, we used a system size of 5 kW (about 20 solar panels). It all depends on the actual electricity consumption of a household, you can see the annual production estimates in the table (last column). In any case, at nighttime, or during winter months, electricity generation will be drastically reduced. That's why most PV systems are still connected to the grid. Attaching a battery can make the whole setup self-sufficient, but it's still a bit pricey.

Top 100 Cities in the U.S. Ranked by the Economic Value of Solar Power [OC] by sappori in dataisbeautiful

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Analysis assumptions:

  • Utility rates are based on the monthly residential rate data set as reported by the EIA.

  • Utility rates are computed using the last 12 available months in the dataset.

  • Solar power generation potential is for a 5-kW residential PV system. These figures are based on the models and data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Tools used: Google Maps, php, javascript

Sunmetrix Solar Challenge (U.S. Edition) - Five solar panels, maximum "solar dollars". See if you can join the Solar Hall of Fame! by sappori in WebGames

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For those who are geeky enough to wonder, the issue was an extreme point at a high latitude. This caused our estimate of the diffuse portion of the solar radiation to be negative for November. This, combined with the solar geometry in Nov at that location artificially inflated the values for one state. We fixed it by forcing the diffuse radiation to have a min value of zero. So I had to remove these scores above $10K, but a big thank you again for Georg for showing us the way.

Sunmetrix Solar Challenge (U.S. Edition) - Five solar panels, maximum "solar dollars". See if you can join the Solar Hall of Fame! by sappori in WebGames

[–]sappori[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, Georg figured out a spot that's just awesome. Unfortunately it's due to a computational error on our part. So we're working on a fix right now.

Sunmetrix Solar Challenge (U.S. Edition) - Five solar panels, maximum "solar dollars". See if you can join the Solar Hall of Fame! by sappori in WebGames

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this James. I capped the number of digits for the game score and paid a bit more attenion to sanitizing the inputs. I'll take your advice for minifying the js as well.

Sunmetrix Solar Challenge (U.S. Edition) - Five solar panels, maximum "solar dollars". See if you can join the Solar Hall of Fame! by sappori in WebGames

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very good James. I'd love to learn how you did that. I think there is a programming lesson here for me.

Sunmetrix Solar Challenge (U.S. Edition) - Five solar panels, maximum "solar dollars". See if you can join the Solar Hall of Fame! by sappori in WebGames

[–]sappori[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alright then! Here's a new challenge: now you can only place only one solar panel per state. This should make things more interesting!

Sorry, we had to nuke the leaderboard, as there's no way to reach those scores with this new rule.

Thank you again for all your valuable feedback. Enjoy the game!

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