Solarizer

About

Solarizer is a frontend web application created using a Node.js runtime environment with React and Redux libraries and developed by a team of Turing Module-4 students. Deployment to production at solarizer.herokuapp.com is handled using a continuous integration workflow with Travis-CI.

This application allows for users to configure a hypothetical solar power generation system through a series of forms to predict monthly energy output and utility savings. After configuration, the user is provided data in a table and can choose to view the same datapoints as several types of charts. We hope that having access to this information in a friendly user interface will encourage wider adoption of green energy sources.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 12.18.1

• The back-end application solarize-be

Setup Local Server

1. Clone this repository: git clone git@github.com:PaulDebevec/solarizer.git
2. Enter the local directory: cd solarizer
3. Install package dependencies: npm install
4. Run test suite: npm test then a to run all tests
5. Launch server: npm start
6. Visit localhost:3000 to view the application in your browser

Walkthrough

1. Visit the production or localhost application and enter your address and click Begin
   
2. Enter a hypothetical solar array configuration. Commonly-encountered settings are suggested through the use of placeholder text in each input field, and then click Submit
   
3. (Optional) Enter historical energy usage for the past twelve months (tip: check your utility bill history). If this information is not available, click Skip, otherwise click Submit.
   
4. Results are displayed in a table.
   
5. Click on "Graph It" to view the same data in charts.
   
6. The FAQ is available from the home page by clicking "What is Solarizer?"

Backend

Solarizer's frontend is supported by two API endpoints: a Python/Flask API combining power generation and utility rate data, and a Rails API serving ecotips and frequently asked questions. The first is hosted at solarize-be, and the second at solarizer-api

Contributors

• Jeremy Poulter (frontend)
• Nick Taylor (frontend)
• Alex Latham (frontend)
• Paul Debevec (backend)
• Jordan Sewell (backend)

Acknowledgements

This project was made possible by the research, collection, and publication of geographic solar radiance data by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.