research
Project Solar
Analyzing the viability of solar panels in the Pacific Northwest
Year
2023
Role
Researcher
Duration
3 months
Overview
As many buildings around the country began installing solar panels and reporting huge benefits, I wondered how much those benefits would apply to the Pacific Northwest. Since the PNW averages over 225 cloudy days per year, most people assumed that solar wouldn’t be viable. Researching online, I found mixed answers and realized that the local impacts weren’t well researched. So, I built a program that used publicly available data and predictive modeling to determine if the long-term electricity savings of solar panels would break even with the initial equipment and installation costs. Later, when my school began considering solar panels, I shared my findings and the program that I had built. My analysis showed that, in our specific climate, their investment was unlikely to pay off, giving school administration a data-backed perspective that helped shape their decision-making.
Achievements
This project was presented to the eCybermission compeition where I won 2nd place in the Greater West Coast Region (Washington, California, Idaho, Texas, etc.)