An interactive application for planning rooftop solar panel installations using satellite imagery, sun-position modeling, and energy yield estimation in MATLAB®.
This app lets you enter any street address, view the rooftop on a satellite map, draw solar panel rectangles interactively, and estimate annual energy production. It models:
- Sun position throughout the year (altitude and azimuth for any latitude/longitude)
- Clear-sky irradiance with air mass and atmospheric effects
- Temperature derating using NOCT (Nominal Operating Cell Temperature) model
- Clearness index from NASA POWER monthly averages
- Panel tilt optimization for maximum annual yield
- PDF report export with site summary and energy analysis
% Launch the interactive app
SolarPanelApp()- Enter an address and click Load to fetch satellite imagery
- Click + Add Panel to draw panel rectangles on the roof
- Adjust tilt with the slider or click Optimize for maximum yield
- View daily power curves and monthly energy bar charts in real time
| Script | Description |
|---|---|
examples/AddressSolarAnalysis.m |
Enter any address and get a full year solar analysis |
examples/SolarPanelDemo.m |
Demonstrates core functions: sun position, irradiance, panel power |
examples/SolarPotentialMap.m |
Visualizes solar potential across the United States |
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
helpers/sunPosition |
Solar altitude and azimuth for any location and time |
helpers/solarPanelPower |
Instantaneous panel power output (W) given conditions |
helpers/clearnessIndex |
Monthly clearness index from latitude/longitude |
helpers/ambientTemperature |
Hourly ambient temperature from sinusoidal model |
helpers/geocodeAddress |
Convert street address to lat/lon via OpenStreetMap Nominatim |
- MATLAB® R2023a or later
- Mapping Toolbox™ (satellite basemap imagery)
- MATLAB Report Generator™ (optional, for PDF export)
- Internet connection (required for basemap tiles and address geocoding via OpenStreetMap Nominatim)