- IRENA has launched the SolarCity, a web-based simulator application created to help households, businesses and municipal authorities evaluate their prospects for generating electricity using rooftop-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
For homes and businesses, the simulator provides the means to calculate likely savings from rooftop solar PV compared to other power sources and based on a cash flow financing model.
For municipal authorities, the simulator supports assessments of different policy incentives – such as generation or capital subsidies – on each city’s rooftop solar PV market.
The SolarCity simulator combines ultra-high-resolution three-dimensional building footprints with solar irradiation data, computed at one metre (m) grid cells. It is one of a series of web applications developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as part of the Global Atlas for Renewable Energy.
The current version of the SolarCity simulator has been built for demonstration in Kasese, Uganda and Zhangjiakou, China. With careful consideration on a case by case basis, IRENA may work with its Members to develop versions of the simulator for selected cities in their countries.
On a case by case basis, IRENA may decide to use the capabilities of SolarCity to conduct specific studies requested by its Members. The outcome of such studies could be in the form of a published report and may not include interactive software online.
Please contact IRENA for more information at: GlobalAtlasServices@irena.org
You can download the SolarCity methodology report here.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
