Site Analysis Process Overview

This page outlines the key processes for using AO Site Analysis. Click the link for each step to view a detailed walkthrough of that process.

Create a Project

Start by creating a project. Projects consolidate assets and data allowing you to perform analysis.

Navigate to the Create Project page through the sidebar and follow the prompts. Finishing completing a project after it is created by adding necessary data and parameters.

Ensure complete projects

  • Specify all parameters

  • Have a primary site for analysis

    • Used to determine location for weather data

  • Specify load data and TOU rates

    • Used to calculate monthly energy and demand charges

Create Parameters for Sensitivity Analysis

Parameters are used in scenario runs to override parameters and run sensitivity analysis. These can be used to replicate the same analysis across any project so that you won't need to continually duplicate work.

Parameters are specific to a given project type and scenario type

Example parameters

Some common parameters that are used in sensitivity analysis include

  • Solar

    • Capacity
    • Tilt
    • Tracking

  • Battery

    • Power
    • Duration

  • Weather Year

  • Financial

    • Discount rate
    • Capacity/Energy Costs
    • O&M Escalation rates

These can be combined to perform scans such as a solar scan that evaluates several solar capacities for 5 different years of weather data.

Run scenarios

A scenario run is a single simulation with a specific value for each parameter. A run group is every combination of values in your scenario analysis based upon your parameter set inputs.

When running scenarios, you are able to perform portfolio scans by using multiple projects or deep dives by providing several parameter sets for a given project.

Example scenario runs

  • Deep dive

    • Select a single project of interest
    • Select multiple parameters, such as a Weather Scan and a Battery Scan
    • The output will allow you to gauge how a specific project responds to a variety of input assumptions

  • Portfolio analysis

    • Select multiple projects of interest
    • Select a single parameter set, such as Solar + Weather Scan, to get an idea on how your projects compare to each other under different weather conditions

View Results - Run Group

Run groups store which scenarios are run together to allow you to see an overview of how all the scenario runs compare with each other. You can see the individual scenario runs in a tabular view and in a graph view. The scenario run data can be exported to a spreadsheet to be used in further analysis.

View runs as a scatter plot

Push the graph button on top of the scenario run table and follow the dialog to specify x and y columns to create a scatter plot.

Example graph

  • X column: capacity
  • Y column: NPV
  • Color: Project for portfolio scan, weather tag for weather scan
  • Size: Annual energy
  • Click on nodes to dive into specific runs

View Results - Single Run

This will show you how to view the calculation progress and completed output of a single run. After you review the run group to identify the best runs from the run group, you can do this to view them in more detail individually.

Example run output

Use the data viewer to view charts

  • Annual Summary: Financial summary info
  • Hourly: Hourly operational data
  • Monthly: Monthly operational and cost data

Download excel files with the following details

  • Financials: Detailed financial info for lifetime of assets
  • Hourly: Hourly operational data