Showing Solar Panels on Architectural Drawings
One of my favorite activities is taking existing architectural drawings for projects under development and rendering solar panels on the plans. These renderings can be simple two dimensional layouts showing available space for solar panels, or rich three dimensional drawings and visualizations. Either way, visualizing solar panels and sizing systems is an important part of any new construction solar project. …
Solar Pool Heating Panels on a Tile Roof – Design to Reality
We have a lot of tile roofs in Florida. Sometimes known as barrel tile, S-tile, Roman tile, Spanish tile, or Mediterranean tile (among other names), these roofs are popular, especially in gated communities. Installing solar pool heating panels presents challenges on tile roofs, and we like the aluminum rack method. This method uses structural aluminum channels to act as a …
From Solar Design to Solar Reality
It’s one thing to come up with a great solar design and rendering for presentation purposes, but watching it become a reality is an amazing feeling. I worked on this project a few years ago where I designed an off-grid solar electric system for a home on Keewaydin Island in Southwest Florida. The property does not have access to utility …
Can I Have Solar Pool Heating and Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) Panels on the Same Roof?
The easy answer is YES! You can put solar pool heating panels and solar electric panels on the same roof. The real question is do you have enough space, and what is the best orientation? Our general recommendation is to save your best roof for solar electric panels. Because they are more expensive and reliant on a good orientation for …
Decisions, Decisions; Where to Put Solar Pool Heating Panels
We are often faced with options when selecting a roof on which to place solar pool heating panels. Sometimes the optimal roof is too small to accommodate the number of panels that we suggest for ideal performance. In the images below, there are two viable options for solar pool heating, the south and the east roofs. There are trade-offs that …
Solar Design: More Than a Pretty Picture
Renderings of solar panels on buildings are very helpful in visualizing the scale and look of a project. However, there are practical reasons to develop 3D computer models of solar panel layouts, and one of the most important is evaluating shading. When obstruction exist like trees, buildings, power lines, and others, it is important to evaluate the impact of shade. …
Interactive 3D Models of Solar Panel Designs
Sure, two dimensional representations of three dimensional models are pretty cool on paper or in PDF presentation format, but what if you could interact with a 3D model in a simple, easy to use format in a web browser? Well, you can! When we do a three dimensional model, it can be uploaded and shared via a web link. Immersive …
Rendering Scenes for 3D Computerized Solar Designs
I’m constantly working to improve the visual renderings of our 3D computerized solar designs. We have mastered the art of taking aerial imagery and making three dimensional roofs on which we can display solar panels. However, one of the biggest challenges is modeling screened pool cages that are ubiquitous in Southwest Florida. Ideally we would just build a box with a raised …
Should I Put Solar Panels on the Front of My House?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We’ve been taught that lesson all our lives. Maybe I’m biased, but I think solar panels look great! A frequent question, and often a conundrum, is whether a client should put solar panels on the front of their house. The answer boils down to a balance between aesthetic, performance, and legal concerns. …
Florida Solar Design Group is on Facebook
In case you didn’t know, Florida Solar Design Group is on Facebook. Like our page and get updates about recent projects and designs. https://www.facebook.com/floridasolardesigngroup Post by Florida Solar Design Group.
Visualizing a Solar Pool Heating System on Your Roof
It is extremely beneficial to show prospective buyers of solar pool heating systems what the panels will look like on their home. Whether it’s concern about a homeowner’s association, the neighbor’s view, how the system will look from the golf course, or just general aesthetic concern, putting solar pool heating panels into perspective (pun intended) serves an important purpose in …