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| List Price: | $299.00 |
| Our Price: | $289.00 Save: $10.00 |
| Model: | WITH CASE & TRIPOD |
| Brand: | Solar Pathfinder |
| Availability: | In Stock |
| Our Code: SOTPATHCASETRI |
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Thanks, first I'm not fully satisfied with your order processing as I placed Jan. Continue...
We received the kit on Winter Solstice 2007 and have good things to say about the contents!
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Kit Includes:
Any scientific analysis is only as accurate as the least accurate input. Gross errors in structure orientation, solar system sizing, collector placement, component specification, and scientific studies can result when designers/engineers fail to accurately assess shading patterns t proposed building/ecological sites. ![]() The Solar Pathfinder™ uses a highly polished, transparent, convex plastic dome to give a panoramic view of the entire site. All the trees, buildings or other obstacles to the sun are plainly visible as reflections on the surface of the dome. The sunpath diagram can be seen through the transparent dome at the same time. This diagram is latitude specific [the further away from the equator, the lower the sun will be in the sky, thereby making the sunpath further from the center of the unit] and shows the sun’s average path for each month. The rays of the diagram depict solar time. The diagram itself is therefore calibrated to give solar insolation data for all the hours of the day and all the days of the year. The diagram is also specific to the application: “South-facing” (for Northern hemisphere) or “vertical” is for applications of 20-90 degrees tilt – usually solar; “Horizontal” is for applications of 0-20 degrees tilt – usually ecological. Because the Solar Pathfinder™ works on a reflective principle rather than actually showing shadows, it can be used anytime of the day, anytime of the year, in either cloudy or clear weather. The actual position of the sun at the time of the solar site analysis is irrelevant. In fact, the unit is easier to use in the absence of direct sunlight. It could even be used on a moonlit night. The Pathfinder has an integral bubble level and magnetic compass to facilitate quick instrument set-up. The unit and diagrams are engineered to adjust for magnetic declination to face “true south” (for Northern hemisphere), not “magnetic south”. A locking mechanism secures the adjustment. Once the Solar Pathfinder™ has been properly set up, the user traces the outline of the horizon’s reflection seen on the dome onto the underlying diagram by inserting a white marking pen (included) through the slots on the side of the unit. The traced line shows exactly at what hours of the day and months of the year an obstacle will shade that particular location. The picture below shows a Solar Pathfinder™ being used at a typical solar site. Notice how the reflected image of the tree-line is sighted coincidentally with the diagram below it. The diagram, also pictured, is a site tracing of the same site. The tracing becomes a permanent record of the solar data.
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