Aurora Solar’s remote shading simulation software accepted by CT Green Bank

Palo Alto-based Aurora Solar today announced that the Connecticut Green Bank has joined rebate authorities around the country in declaring Aurora’s remote shading simulation software an acceptable replacement for the time-consuming and costly onsite inspections previously required when applying for rebates associated with solar system installations. Aurora incorporates the measurements of a site’s solar potential as part of a standardized “Solar Shade Report” that consolidates all the information solar companies need in making financing, installation and rebate decisions.

With this announcement, Aurora becomes the industry’s most validated and widely accepted solar design software. The results of Aurora’s web-based software are accurate and reliable enough to replace measurements collected through a physical site visit and inspection. Rebate authorities that accept Aurora’s remote shading include:

• CT Green Bank
• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
• Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund
• Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)
• New Jersey Clean Energy Fund
• City of Roseville Residential Solar Energy Program
• Oncor
• Energy Trust of Oregon

Measurements providing the solar potential of a roof are a crucial piece of information that installers, private financing firms, and government rebate authorities rely upon in designing solar systems, and issuing financing and rebates for their installation. The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has validated that Aurora Solar’s shade reports are statistically equivalent to on-site measurements. Accordingly, NREL estimates that Aurora with its remote shading analysis can save installers $0.17/W on a 5-kW system (~$850 per install).

Faster, cheaper, safer

Until Aurora’s breakthrough, the industry—solar installers, financing firms, and government authorities—relied on dangerous, costly, and time-consuming on-site surveys. These required travel to a homeowner’s residence, climbing on its roof, and taking manual readings to determine the level of sunlight and shading.

This process frequently takes at least half a day and typically costs hundreds of dollars. Moreover, it is subject to error, requiring time-consuming and expensive repeat surveys.

While prices for solar hardware have fallen by over 70% in the past 10 years, “soft costs” have remained stubbornly high due to these on-site surveys and other related activities, inhibiting residential adoption. These soft costs now comprise more than half the cost of a typical solar installation. Being able to quickly and accurately calculate a roof’s solar potential promises to slash the expense involved in quoting a solar installation.

Aurora’s novel methodology relies on algorithmically generating a 3D reconstruction of a building, and then simulating the sun’s path over the site in order to determine the roof’s solar potential. Using Aurora’s algorithms, anyone with web access can quickly generate an accurate report detailing the irradiance and shading of any surface in the world.

News item from Aurora Solar