How to Use the Energy Exploration Center

*Note* We will be removing the data collection sites and kiosks and making the necessary changes to this portion of the site. This is due to Drupal 7 End of Life and the growth of commercial data monitoring and display solutions that come straight from the equipment manufacturers utilized by renewable and smart energy developers. In the meantime, we will leave up the sites that are currently reporting data before we transition to a new platform soon. 

Take a look at the instructions below and the PDF, and if you still have questions, email us at CEbrightfutures at b-e-f.org for tips and support to utilize these data in lessons.

Getting Started: We've created a brief document to share some tips and more details about using solar energy data from this Energy Exploration Center in your lesson plans.

DOWNLOAD "Accessing Solar Energy Data for Classroom Use" >>

Basic Steps

Step One:

Use the drop-down list to select a school or project. This will enable you to select data variables and the date range in the next field.

Step Two:

Select up to four data variables to graph using the drop-down list. The variables available are dependent on the technology installed at the site.

Step Three:

Select a Start Date and End Date for the time period you’d like to graph. The length of your selected interval will dictate how much granularity you will see in your graph or spreadsheet.

Step Four:

Click on the “GRAPH” button. After the graph has been generated, you can print your graph, download the data into a spreadsheet or share it over email, Twitter or Facebook by clicking on the buttons that appear below.

  • To view data in 15-minute blocks: Select a single day to graph (the start date and end date will be the same).

  • To view data in hour blocks: Select a time interval that is less than or equal to 7 days and greater than 1 day.

  • To view data in day blocks: Select a time interval that is less than or equal to 31 days and greater than 7 days. To view data in month blocks: Select a time interval that is less than or equal to 366 days and greater than 31 days. When graphing complete months of data, remember to include entire calendar months in your time-interval.

 

NOTE: Graphs showing trend lines at zero kW across an extended period of time indicate that data monitoring was inactive for that period. Inactive data monitoring may be caused by a number of factors, including IT maintenance, temporary shut-down during the summer, etc. 

Project data not displaying? Most project data displays go down after implementation of new network configuration or firewall changes. Download this troubleshooting guide for more information.