To estimate solar production at your next campsite, select that location in SunPlanner and check the Dashboard and Outlook for your configured panels. Use Sun Finder to compare the sun path with panel direction for your chosen date. Judge trees, terrain, and other obstructions yourself.
How can I compare two possible stops?
Keep the same panel setup and travel date for both stops so the comparison stays useful.
- Set the first stop as SunPlanner’s forecast location. Confirm the location shown on Dashboard or Outlook before reading the estimate.
- In Outlook, choose the date you plan to be there and check the solar-energy estimate and its range.
- Open Sun Finder in Map mode. Select the same place and date there, then compare the sun path with your panel direction.
- Repeat for the second stop using the same panel setup and date.
- Check visible obstructions and the actual site before choosing where to park.
Browsing or moving the Sun Finder map alone does not confirm that you have changed the forecast location. Check the place shown on Dashboard or Outlook for each comparison. Neither the forecast nor the sun path can promise an unobstructed parking space.
What does Sun Finder show?
Search for the place you are considering or move the map to the point that matters. Sun Finder shows the sun’s path for that location and date along with the direction of the configured panels.
That makes it easier to compare two possible stops or think through where a movable array may have the better solar window.
What does Sun Finder leave for me to judge?
Sun Finder does not calculate tree height, terrain shadows, nearby buildings, or obstruction shading. A satellite image may help you understand the area, but it cannot promise what the shade will look like when you arrive.
Use the sun path as one part of the decision. Then judge the trees, ridge lines, structures, parking direction, and any other obstruction you can see.
How does changing the place affect the forecast?
Changing the selected location gives SunPlanner a new place and weather conditions to plan around. The Dashboard and Outlook can then estimate solar production for the configured system at that location.
Moving does not change calibration by itself. Calibration changes from usable production readings that compare a prediction with the actual end-of-day result.
Why check before driving?
A quick comparison can help you avoid choosing a stop that works poorly for the loads you need to run. It can also help you decide whether the next day looks better for travel, charging, cooking, cooling, or staying put.
It remains a planning estimate. Weather can change, and the physical site still decides how much clear sky reaches the panels.
What should I check before choosing the site?
Look at the date, sun path, panel direction, and forecast for the place you selected. Then compare that information with the visible site conditions. Sun Finder helps narrow the choice before the drive. You still make the final call when you can see the location.
For your next stop, Get SunPlanner or request the iPhone launch notification. If you are still planning the system, start with the battery-sizing example.