In a significant development for the UK solar PV industry, Hestia today announced the launch of a new
solar PV web based application. The SolarProspector™ is a technologically advanced online tool for
assessing the viability of installing solar PV panels on a roof. SolarProspector™ represents a significant departure
from existing market offers - giving all UK property owners the chance to assess earnings and savings
from solar installations without having to commit to expensive surveys. Commercial, agricultural and
residential properties can all be surveyed individually for solar PV suitability to a level of accuracy
previously unavailable for free. Traditional solar PV assessment tools are either simplistic and deliver
inaccurate results. The user-friendly design of SolarProspector™ makes it the ideal tool for homeowners and professionals in
both the public and private sectors to assess the financial viability of putting solar panels on a roof.
The SolarProspector™ system design has a very natural work flow and incorporates features which
significantly enhance accuracy and the user experience. Single property owners can build their own solar
panel system and visualise how it will look on a roof, for free. Aerial imagery and address information are
used to identify a single property. Accurately scaled solar panels are then overlaid onto the roof and once
individual panels are moved to fit or removed to avoid obstructions (such as chimneys), a full report
detailing system size, electricity generation, earnings from the Feed In Tariff and savings can be
generated.
On a contract basis, Hestia can quickly and accurately assess the potential for
installing solar PV on a
portfolio of properties - ideal for local authorities, facilities managers, estate agencies, large property
portfolio owners, and solar PV installers. A customer simply needs to supply Hestia with a property
address list and Hestia's expert Solar Verifiers will use the SolarProspector™ to analyse each property
and present an analysis detailing the potential returns for solar panels on each property for the next 25
years. As well as financial returns, information on solar suitability including a list of solar suitable roofs,
the potential system size in kWp, location of obstructions/significant overshading, estimated electricity
yield, earnings from the Feed In Tariff, electricity savings, and a web link to an aerial image of each
property is provided. The system has been successfully piloted on a local authority contract to examine
60,000 roofs for Solar PV suitability.
Hestia’s SolarProspector™ uses an embedded Google Map to allow users to indentify their properties and
visualise how many solar panels can be installed on their roof. Unlike other online tools based on the
Google Maps API, SolarProspector™ uses complex trigonometry to solve the angle at which an aerial
image was taken. SolarProspector™ overlays accurately scaled solar panels onto the map based on the
pitch of roof as chosen by the user, a perspective correction factor to take into account the angle at
which the aerial imagery was taken, and the dimensions of Hestia supplied solar panels. The system
performance and financial assessment are calculated using the UK Government approved Standard
Assessment Procedure (SAP) along with feed in tariff rates published by Ofgem.
"SolarProspector™ gives everyone the chance to see what their roof could be worth to them in solar
earnings. I am very proud of our development team, this is a tremendous online tool, simple to use and
we are delighted to make it free for public use." said Keith Bennett, Executive Chairman, Hestia.
Generating energy from a renewable source means generating considerably less CO2, which is a major
contributor to climate change. As an investment, solar power projects are particularly attractive for
property owners because the prices for electricity under the UK Feed In Tariff (FIT) Scheme are
effectively guaranteed by the government for 25 years and the technology involved is proven and
reliable. The FIT scheme rewards solar electricity production above all other renewable sources. Before
the launch of SolarProspector™, property owners had limited options for evaluating the potential for solar
on their roof - due to their cost and complexity, legacy applications have been expensive.
The launch of SolarProspector™ now makes the evaluation of financial returns and CO2 savings on a
single solar PV system affordable for all property owners.
Operating since 1993, Hestia is one of the most established
renewable energy firms in the UK. Hestia is
a specialist solar PV company, providing high quality photovoltaic solutions for farmers, home owners
and businesses. Hestia is also an established provider of independent energy efficiency advice services
and is a leading contractor for the Energy Saving Trust. Hestia works with technology partners from
Germany, and continually re-invests in developing innovative new products and tools for the renewable
energy sector.
“Hestia plays a pioneering role in the UK solar PV industry and we are innovating in order to provide
customers with the most effective solutions to meet their energy needs. SolarProspectorTM provides the
ease of customer experience and accuracy enhancement our customers are seeking.” said Keith Bennett,
Executive Chairman, Hestia.
SolarProspector™ is available online and on a contract basis from Hestia
from August 2011.
Hestia's SolarProspector - Advanced Solar PV Calculator
View a
pdf version of this article.