Renewable Energy Site Assessors

Site assessment plays a key role in the success of any clean energy project. An accurate assessment ensures that the location is viable and, if so, helps designers and installers avoid costly mistakes and provides end-users with a system that maximizes energy production based on topography, meteorological and geological conditions, customer needs, and other criteria.

Site assessors provide assessments for both residential and commercial clients. Photovoltaic (or solar) power is the most-popular residential clean energy, but small wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, and small hydropower systems can be installed on or near homes and apartments. For a residential solar site assessment, the assessor conducts an on-site evaluation of the customer’s property. They meet with the customer to determine his or her energy needs and ideal budget, then provides them with an overview of the types of systems and mounting options (rooftops, ground mounts, pole mounts) that are available. They document the existing electrical systems and roof conditions at the site, perform a shade analysis and review weather patterns, and take other steps to determine the best type, size, and layout of the solar panels, as well as assess how much energy can be harvested at the location. The site assessor provides oral and written reports to the client that present information on the system, the amount of energy that can be harvested at the location, and the costs and savings (including potential rebates and government tax credits) of a solar system installation. At a larger company, a sales representative is responsible for the marketing and sales aspects of the interaction. At a smaller firm, a site assessor handles these duties.

For a large-scale project, such as the development of a wind farm, the assessor collects information to help get a better understanding of the potential project. This includes wind data (e.g., typical wind direction, distribution of wind speeds, normal and extreme speeds), data on other environmental conditions (such as temperature and air density), and information on topography, the size of the site, soil conditions, and potential geological issues (for example, the site may be located in an area with higher-than-average seismic activity). They assess how potential issues such as noise, danger to animals (for example, wind turbines can be dangerous to birds), and shadow flicker (which occurs on sunny days when the rotor’s shadow passes over a building) may affect buildings on the property, nearby landowners, and the environment. Assessors also determine how far the site is from existing transmission lines (the cost of construction rises the farther a site is from transmission lines). The assessor acquires this information by collecting historical data, recording data from on-site sensors and weather-monitoring equipment, and visiting the site. Once they gather the necessary information, the site assessor prepares a time and cost estimate for the client, answers their questions about the project, and revises the estimate based on customer feedback and collaboration with installers, designers, and managers. A large renewable energy company typically employs sales representatives to work with the customer once the site assessment is complete. But at some firms, site assessors may also provide sales support and even design the actual system.