EVALUATE HUNDREDS OF UNIQUE CONFIGURATIONS IN SECONDS DURING EARLY-STAGE SOLAR DEVELOPMENT

Key takeaways from the Solar Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT) webinar

The world is becoming increasingly complex, but your solar feasibility process does not have to be. Solar project developers are currently using an outdated approach for early-stage development that is incredibly time-consuming and inaccurate. Imagine, instead of waiting weeks and hiring costly external teams for a feasibility study, there was a simpler solution that could do all of these steps simultaneously, more accurately, and for a fraction of the cost.

At Terrasmart, we built intelligent solar modeling software to do just that. By taking the guesswork and assumptions out of solar estimating, you can unlock hidden value while increasing profitability and IRR. Below are the key takeaways from our Solar Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT) webinar and how to maximize project returns and mitigate risk for PV projects from 1 MW to 1 GW.

Streamline feasibility studies for improved accuracy, speed, and cost-efficiency

SIFT is an easy-to-use optimization platform that generates hundreds of solar design scenarios in seconds before a survey is ever conducted. Want to compare different racking systems and modules based on cost and performance? No problem. SIFT will analyze hundreds of options with the click of a button for you to choose from and analyze over the project’s lifetime.

Ashton Vandemark developed this flagship tool to modernize solar development and incorporate as much data into the smart decision-making process as possible. He states that SIFT intends to “maximize value without being complicated and time-consuming.” The cloud-based platform does not require any software installations and is shareable across teammates for seamless collaboration.

Find your optimized system design

Ever want to compare a fixed tilt rack vs. a single axis tracker? How about understanding how a bifacial module impacts performance? SIFT gives you the data to compare different system designs and select the optimized layout based on your goals of GCR, LCOE, or IRR. Simply input your racking, module, and inverter assumptions and run hundreds of layouts to compare.

With SIFT, you can effectively customize almost all aspects of the system design, including:

• Number of modules high
• Configuration (landscape or portrait)
• Modules per string
• Number of strings per rack
• Tilt angle or tracking angle
• Module type, including bifacial
• Backtracking
• Irradiance optimized tracking
• And many more

Understand how topography and weather impact your project returns

The topography is imported from USGS or Google Earth and includes the slopes and tolerances necessary to define appropriate racking limits. Input your racking’s slope tolerance and SIFT will tell you which parts of your site require grading. It goes a step further, quantifying the cubic yards or meters needed to get the land into tolerance so you can understand the impact to your CAPEX estimates. You can also choose an ungraded option and see how that affects performance.

Weather can be imported directly from Solar GIS, NASA, or NSRDB, with volatile climate events accounted for. Shading is also included to quantify the impacts on performance and minimize losses with the best solar design.

Improve IRR with transparent financial projections

SIFT is the only solar financial optimization platform with complete LCOE and IRR models. The financial assumptions are transparent and available to users with no hidden black box for the utmost confidence behind the financial mapping.

SIFT analyzes the financial influences below and optimizes for the best LCOE or IRR:

• Analysis period and discount rate
• CAPEX: racking, modules, wiring, inverters, transformers, foundations, install costs, cost of land, permits, fees, engineering, and more
• OPEX: leased land cost, escalation %, rack footprint $/ha, DC $/kWp, AC $/kWac, fixed operating costs
• Revenue and Incentives: fixed $/kWh or time of use, escalation rate, PTC, and ITC
• Debt, tax, and depreciation: down to the monthly detail