Optimally placing photovoltaic arrays to maximize value of energy production based on peak power production, local solar radiation, weather, electricity market prices and rate structures

A computer program product for optimally placing photovoltaic arrays to maximize a value of energy production, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code comprising the programming instructions for:

• automatically varying an azimuth and a tilt combination for each of a plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays;
• calculating incident solar radiation on a plane based on meteorological, astronomical and geographic data for each of said varied azimuth and tilt for each of said plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays;
• estimating alternating current solar photovoltaic electric energy and power production from said calculated solar radiation for each of said varied azimuth and tilt using a solar photovoltaic energy production model, wherein said solar photovoltaic energy production model utilizes an efficiency of photovoltaic panels, an efficiency of a solar inverter, an incident radiation on a tilted plane, an ambient temperature, a reference temperature of photovoltaic panels, a nominal operating cell temperature at operating test conditions and a temperature coefficient of photovoltaic panels;
• calculating an economic and non-economic value of solar photovoltaic electric energy and power produced by said photovoltaic arrays for said plurality of placements using said estimated alternating current solar photovoltaic electric energy and power production;
• generating a heat map of said calculated incident solar radiation and said estimated photovoltaic electric energy and power production;
• and
• selecting an optimized azimuth and tilt corresponding to a placement out of said plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays corresponding to a highest value of said solar photovoltaic electric energy and power produced by said photovoltaic arrays based at least in part on said heat map, wherein said photovoltaic arrays are placed on a surface using said selected optimized placement.

A system, comprising:

• a memory unit for storing a computer program for optimally placing photovoltaic arrays to maximize a value of energy production;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory unit, wherein the processor is configured to execute the program instructions of the computer program comprising:
• automatically varying an azimuth and a tilt combination for each of a plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays;
• calculating incident solar radiation on a plane based on meteorological, astronomical and geographic data for each of said varied azimuth and tilt for each of said plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays;
• estimating alternating current solar photovoltaic electric energy and power production from said calculated solar radiation for each of said varied azimuth and tilt using a solar photovoltaic energy production model, wherein said solar photovoltaic energy production model utilizes an efficiency of photovoltaic panels, an efficiency of a solar inverter, an incident radiation on a tilted plane, an ambient temperature, a reference temperature of photovoltaic panels, a nominal operating cell temperature at operating test conditions and a temperature coefficient of photovoltaic panels;
• calculating an economic and non-economic value of solar photovoltaic electric energy and power produced by said photovoltaic arrays for said plurality of placements using said estimated alternating current solar photovoltaic electric energy and power production;
• generating a heat map of said calculated incident solar radiation and said estimated photovoltaic electric energy and power production;
• and
• selecting an optimized azimuth and tilt corresponding to a placement out of said plurality of placements for said photovoltaic arrays corresponding to a highest value of said solar photovoltaic electric energy and power produced by said photovoltaic arrays based at least in part on said heat map, wherein said photovoltaic arrays are placed on a surface using said selected optimized placement.