The Power of Precision: Why Accurate Solar Designs Matter

Want the most out of your rooftop solar investment? It all starts with an exceptional design. At Uprise, we leverage sophisticated software like Solargraf, which taps into the power of data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop meticulous designs. Why does design matter? Simply put, better designs mean your rooftop solar panels will generate the most power possible, saving you more money on your utility bills.

Solargraf: Where Design Meets Data

Solargraf is our go-to tool for creating detailed 3D models of your roof and property. This software helps us visualize your roof with incredible detail, incorporating its dimensions, slopes, and any potential shading from surrounding obstacles, like trees or other buildings, so we can know where to best place solar panels. Solargraf is more than just a pretty 3D model of your roof. It’s a powerful tool that combines detailed site analysis with hyper-local solar production estimates. 

Solargraf integrates PVWatts, a solar calculator from NREL, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. PVWatts provides in-depth solar production estimates based on your location’s historical weather patterns and solar radiation data, i.e. how much energy from the sun reaches your rooftop. We’re talking very zoomed-in data, based on the NREL National Solar Radiation Database. If you look at the picture below, you’ll see a blue rectangle covering only part of DC (the marker shows Uprise’s office!). That blue rectangle contains solar data for this specific part of the city. That means you’re not only getting DC-specific data, but incredibly granular information about solar radiation patterns — right down to your specific neighborhood!

How Does Solargraf Work?

Integrating PVWatts and NREL data, Solargraf brings a data-driven approach to design so yours will align with cutting edge industry standards. The first step is an analysis of your energy needs: we take a look at your past electric bills to understand your usage patterns. This helps us tailor the size of the solar system to meet your needs. (If you want to know more about why Uprise needs your past electric bills, check out our blog post on the topic.)

Next up is site assessment. Solargraf considers your roof’s orientation (north, south, east, or west) and roof pitch, while factoring in potential shade issues like foliage or nearby buildings. This data lets us know what the sunlight availability is for your roof throughout a year.

PVWatts also allows Solargraf to account for typical losses — not just shading, but also from dust and debris, snow cover, differences between ideal test conditions and real-world performance, solar panels’ gradual loss of efficiency over the years, and system downtime (when the system isn’t working properly, like in the event of a technical malfunction).

And then there’s equipment selection. We use NREL’s research on equipment performance to select top quality products, like solar panels and microinverters, for your system. Bringing all this information together, we can determine which portions of your roof would be a good match for solar.

Why Does Accuracy Matter for Solar Designs?

Accurate solar designs translate to tangible benefits for you. A design backed up by data ensures your system will generate an optimal amount of electricity year-round, so you can save significantly on your power bills. Your design will also provide energy production estimates, thanks to PVWatts, so you’ll gain realistic forecasts for your return on investment: when you’ll break even, and even about how much money you can expect to save each month.

Below you can see examples from a sample solar design; the first shows how much of the homeowner’s electricity use the solar panels will offset, or how much of their use will be covered by solar. The second image shows their estimated savings, including estimated savings over 30 years and their payback period.

Beyond the technical details, receiving an accurate design also gives you peace of mind. You can know that since your system has been carefully designed, it will perform reliably for years to come.

I Want a Design For My Roof!

You’re in the right place! We believe going solar is a smart decision, and we draw on the best data so your system will live up to its full potential. Reach out to us and we’d be more than happy to create an accurate solar design for your roof — a potent tool to help you determine if going solar is the right choice for you — for free. Call us at (202) 280-2285 or fill out the form directly below to schedule a conversation.