Solar Survey Tool for Site Selection

If you plan on doing a solar survey tool to determine if the location you want to put your solar cooker, PV array, or water heating panels will get enough sunlight throughout the year, this is the tool to use.

A solar site survey tool, also called a solar site survey selector tool, is a device that will show you obstacles to the sunlight that you want on your solar oven, PV panels or other solar collectors.

There is a way to do a solar site survey without any expensive tools or gadgets, such as a device currently on the market called the Solar Path Finder.

If you just want to find solar south, you don't have to use any special solar survey tools to find out which way is south. A straight stick will do the trick (I like rhymes).

Drive a stick, between 2-3 feet long, into the ground where your solar oven will be. Use a level (or a plumb bob) to make sure the stake is vertical (plumb). Yes, you can also use a string and a rock instead. We just make sure the stick is vertical.

At exactly noon (local time), the shadow from the stick will parallel solar north/south. (The longer the stick, the longer the shadow.) If the location of the stick is where you're going to put your solar cooker, then you'll know which way your going to point your cooker at noon (facing solar south, of course). You can also follow use the dowel (stick) method to get the same info for solar panels for you roof, etc. (Please don't drive the stake into your roof. This will make your wife VERY angry.)

Depending on what time of year you do this, your stick's shadow will be shorter (summer) or longer (winter). You can use a shorter stick in the winter or a longer stick in the summer.

Obviously, if you're going to put the solar cooker on the deck, you don't want to drive a stake in your deck.