Solar Panel Installation Planner (SPIP) HMC CS121 Spring 2009
0. Authors
Samuel Just
Marquis Wang
Dmitriy Yakovlev
0.5. Requirements
Django 1.0.1+
Apache 2.0+ with mod_wsgi
MySQL5 or postgreSQL database
1. Code Layout
SPIP consists of a single form, the results of which are processed and then
displayed on an output page. Due to the way Django works, the code that
supports all of this is distributed among many different files. This reference
outlines the total code that runs the specific project, not Django in general.
solar2009/
django.wsgi : configuration file for Django
monitor.py : fix for a caching issue.
solar2009/docs/
contains project documentation
solar2009/resources/
contains the outside source files we used in this project. See External
Resources section for a detailed breakdown of contents.
solar2009/solar/
settings.py : Django project settings
urls.py : Django rewrite rules for form locations
solar2009/solar/media/
contains directories css/ and js/, which hold the css and js used by SPIP
solar2009/solar/payback_calc/
payback_lib.py : support library for view that calculates the projection
formdef.py : definitions for the input form subsections
hostip.py : support library for ip-location database
models.py : Django-generated file that defines database access functions
srlocat_wrapper.py : wrapper for SRLOCAT.F, for calculating insolation data
views.py : functions for generating the input form and response page
solar2009/solar/templates/payback_calc/
base.html : template-template, defines outline that other templates extend
error.html : template for errors
index.html : template that defines the way the input form view looks
response.html : template that defines the way the response view looks
2. External Resources
(in solar2009/resources)
2007avgprices.txt
Average state electricity prices for 2007.
Retrieved from _____
22yr_swv_dwn.gz/txt
Empirical insolation data from NASA SSE
Retrieved from http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/sse/
hostip_current.sql.tar.gz
ip geolocation database, maps IPs to latitude and longitude information.
Retrieved from http://www.hostip.info/
SRLOCAT.F
Purely geometry-based insolation calculator in Fortran.
Retrieved from http://aom.giss.nasa.gov/srlocat.html
zipcode.sql
zip code <--> lat/long database <--> city, state information
Retrieved from http://scripts.ringsworld.com/calculators/zipcode-1.1.0
(in solar2009/solar/media/js)
jquery*.js
jQuery, general effects library and framework
jscharts.js
jsCharts, chart creation library
livevalidation*.js
LiveValidation, clientside form validation library
facebox.js
Facebox, lightweight modal box library
3. Roadmap for the Future
Some things that we did not have time to get accomplished:
- a second graph showing the value of electricity that we generate as it changes
- a database of average panel prices (perhaps per kw generated) so that the
installation cost can be estimated if it is not known
- better organization and integration of advanced form fields with the rest of
the form
- HTML, CSS, JS validation of the codebase
- print stylesheet that removes graphical markup from results
- more statistical data and details in the results
- http://www.solar-estimate.org/pdfs/solar_payback.pdf <- read this document and
fix our model so that it is somewhat accurate and follows the ideas featured
in here
- third graph that shows the average amount made per month, compared to paid
(showing deficit or excess due to buyback rates)