Does using renewable energy, or a particular type of renewable energy, make sense in a given situation? Making a preliminary assessment is quick and convenient using free Internet shareware, RETScreen (Renewable Energy Project Analysis Software).
RETScreen, developed by Natural Resources Canada, runs on Microsoft Excel and enables users to evaluate annual energy production, costs and financial viability of renewable energy projects anywhere in the world at a fraction of the cost of conventional pre-feasibility studies. The Passive Solar Heating model, for example, can be used to examine the difference in heating and cooling energy consumption between a proposed passive solar building (retrofit or new construction) and an identical conventional building.
The original version, released in 1998, allows assessments for wind, small hydro, PV, solar air heating and biomass. An upgraded 1999 version provides modules for passive
solar heating, solar water heating and ground-source heat pumps. The software also includes NASA satellite weather data – the amount of solar energy that strikes the surface of the earth, global temperatures and wind speeds – critical information for determining the amount of energy a project can produce.
RETScreen: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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