I wrote this blog post about an article I found online -> https://www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-develop-system-to-measure-solar-energy-potential-of-city-roofs/
This is my post:
The orientation of your solar panels is a detrimental factor in how much energy you can produce, depending on where you live. Solar panels are placed on the south side of a roof if they are operating in the northern hemisphere, solar panels in the southern hemisphere will face true north. Also, these solar panels are placed at different angles depending on your latitude. The sun is higher in the sky in cities closer to the equator, so the solar panels are tilted at small angles. Homeowners and businesses have the choice of installing solar trackers, which follows the trajectory of the sun. What if there is a better way of effectively tracking the sun to produce the most amount of electricity? Professors Arnon Karnieli and Isaac Meir along with student Arti Tiwari at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev conducted their research to determine the most efficient placement for solar panels in Kiryat Malachi, Israel. The task was difficult, the researchers had to find a way to orient the solar panels on different types of roofs. Karnieli, Meir, and Tiwari approached the challenge by combining an "orthophoto produced by the Survey of Israel in 2012 (ortho-rectification corrects aerial photos geometrically so that the scale is uniform) and a LiDAR map from 2015 (LiDAR uses laser light and sensors to measure distances) (The Times of Israel)”. The data collected was used to create an aspect slope map, which determined the location and angle for solar panels on each roof in the city. LiDAR data for specific locations is very beneficial for solar companies because it provides a better service for customers. Researchers and companies in the solar industry are constantly trying to figure out ways to produce energy. Technologies such as LiDAR are driving the industry towards more conventional solar panels. I recommend reading more about LiDAR’s application in the solar industry and reading the full article by Sue Surkes here. Surkes, Sue. “Researchers Develop System to Measure Solar Energy Potential of City Roofs.” The Times of Israel, 21 May 2020, www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-develop-system-to-measure-solar-energy-potential-of-city-roofs/.
*I was wondering if it's plagiarism if I wrote about this article. I took a quote out of the original article and essentially summarized what the researchers were doing based on what the original author wrote. I'm trying to be cautious and not plagiarize. Thank you for your help!
