Sustainability Impact of Solar Energy
Solar Energy:
- Reduces operational energy demand
- Offsets electricity for lighting, cooling, and equipment
- Decreases reliance on external energy
- Reduces dependency on grid electricity and fossil fuels
- Lowers lifecycle environmental footprint
- Reduces operational carbon emissions over time
- Enables low-energy / net-zero strategies
- Supports carbon-neutral building concepts
- Works with passive design (orientation, shading)
- Supports certification and policy goals
- Contributes to LEED, BREEAM, and local regulations
Solar Energy Analysis in Forma Site Design
- Evaluates the solar energy potential of buildings
- Estimates annual electricity production from solar panels
- Builds on previous analyses:
- Sun hours → when and where sun occurs
- Solar energy → how much usable energy can be generated
- Considers:
- Sun angle and orientation
- Shading from surroundings
- Location-specific climate data
- Analysis Outputs
- Annual solar radiation (kWh/m²) of solar energy available at each surface
- Identification of high-performing surfaces
- Estimated electricity production based on: Panel efficiency & Surface coverage
Workflow — Running a Solar Energy Analysis
- Open a proposal.
- In the right panel, go to Analyze → Solar Energy Analysis.
- In the analysis area menu at the top of the right panel, select your site limit.
- Click Run analysis to start.
- Repeat this process for each proposal you want to compare.
Exploring and Interpreting the Analysis Results
Example: Comparing Annual Electrical Output
