Path-Q Solar
How should equipment used only during occasional peak events be included in a business's solar sizing estimate?
Answer
Include occasional equipment according to its expected annual energy contribution and separately identify its peak power and timing. Rare loads may have little effect on annual solar energy sizing but can materially affect electrical infrastructure, demand, storage, or backup requirements.
Key points
- Estimate event frequency, duration, power, and season.
- Model the load separately rather than spreading it evenly across all hours.
- Check whether events coincide with low solar production or create a short high-power requirement.
What it depends on
- Equipment power draw
- Number and duration of events
- Season and time of day
- Whether events are expected to grow
- Whether the design includes batteries or backup capability
Risks and trade-offs
- Averaging rare peaks into annual consumption can hide required power capacity.
- Sizing solar for an unlikely peak may increase cost without improving normal energy offset.
- Omitting the load can cause problems with service capacity, storage, or backup operation.
Information you may need
- Event calendar or frequency estimate
- Equipment ratings or measured demand
- Typical event duration
- Expected solar production during events
- Whether the business needs the equipment to operate during outages
Your next step
What to do next
Provide the designer with a separate occasional-load schedule and request both annual-energy and peak-power treatment in the design.
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