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April 2008 - Optical Research Associates (ORA®) is expanding the capabilities of LightTools®, its illumination design and analysis software, to support innovative solar energy solutions with the introduction of solar design utilities. These utilities enable engineers to virtually prototype solar collection systems and analyze system performance to help ensure that energy efficiency goals are achieved.

"Increasing investments in clean energy technologies have led to renewed research into innovative ways to improve solar collection products," said Robert Hilbert, President and CEO of ORA. "We are pleased to offer customized design solutions that help engineers in this industry develop more efficient solar energy systems faster."

Specifically, the LightTools solar design utilities enable engineers to:

• Rapidly model non-imaging concentrators, including compound parabolic, elliptical, and hyperbolic concentrators, as well as involute concentrators. These components can be used to virtually prototype solar collectors for photovoltaic and heating systems.
• Create and incorporate a sun model in a solar collection system prototype, including direct and diffuse sunlight.
• Load insolation data for a particular location, latitude, longitude, and time zone for highly accurate measurements of radiation incident on a solar collection system. LightTools supports insolation data created using a global meteorological database provided by METEOTEST's METEONORM version 6.0 software. The METEONORM software is available through ORA and ORA software distributors. User-defined insolation data files are also supported.
• Simulate the movement of the sun across the sky and evaluate the amount of optical power striking a solar collection system at a particular time of day.
• Perform a solar day scan to calculate a system’s incident solar and electrical power.
• Evaluate the impact of atmospheric particulates on a system’s energy output.

The LightTools solar design utilities are immediately available. For more information, please send an email to info@opticalres.com or your local ORA distributor.

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LightTools solar design utilities enable engineers to virtually prototype and analyze solar collection systems.