University of Colorado, Boulder: May 2010

NCALM Project. PI: Shane Grigsby, University of Colorado, Boulder. lidar survey of the CU-Boulder campus as part of a solar energy potential and photovoltaic planning study. The acquisition covers 45 km2 and includes East Campus, West Campus, and South Campus, as well as portions of the Flatirons and surrounding areas in multiple return, classified points. The CU Environmental Center is using the lidar data, combined with building footprint vector data from the campus GIS system, to facilitate site selection for new solar arrays. The lidar data and terrain products enables analysis of insolation using the GRASS GIS implementation of the SOLPOS 2.0 (SOLar POSition and intensity) algorithm developed and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This allows campus solar sites to take into account day length, position of the sun, seasonal atmospheric effects, orientation and the local shading effects from trees, buildings and other structures.