ScanTheSun – Is it possible to scan the sun?
-Polish start-up wins Energy Innovation Challenge and Meetup Day
-What is ScanTheSun?
-ScanTheSun advantages

Polish start-up wins Energy Innovation Challenge and Meetup Day
ScanTheSun, a Polish start-up, the creator of an application supporting the design and creation of
energy forecasts from solar devices, has once again been recognized in an international competition.
First, R&D Impact 2020, then Incredibles and victory in Meetup Day, and last, very important victory
in the prestigious Energy Innovation Challenge competition organized by the City of Katowice and
UN-Habitat.


Start-ups, cooperatives, social cooperatives, enterprises and public corporations with experience in
urban energy innovation projects were invited to participate in the challenge. Six finalists selected
from a pool of submissions had the opportunity to present their ideas in front of a jury of
international experts, who selected the best ideas based on impact and innovation, as well as
feasibility and concept capability.


Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of UN-Habitat, said: “Cities are incubators of innovation
and new technologies. Therefore, we need to support the development of solutions that provide
resource-efficient energy at the local level, replacing fossil fuels. The winners of the Katowice Energy
Innovation Challenge are an example of how we should approach the transformation towards green
and sustainable cities that care about benefits for all.”


What is ScanTheSun?


ScanTheSun is a mobile application with a unique approach to the immediate design of efficient, and
therefore cost-effective solar installations within the framework of Augmented Reality (AR). The
solution is based on the use of computing power, wireless communication channels and, above all,
environmental sensors in a device that each of us has in our pocket in the form of a smartphone.
Synthesis of sensor readings such as Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS, compass, gyroscope,
camera, touch screen, Near Field Communication NFC relieve the designer from the need for manual
data entry or tedious computer modeling process which is a unique solution in the world.
Thanks to the multi-core CPU in every modern smartphone, not only is the optimum design of a solar
power system calculated taking into account the ambient influences, but also the distribution of the
solar radiation is precisely simulated for the entire year and broken down into individual months.
This allows a precise four-dimensional (spatio-temporal) yield map to be obtained, which shows the
distribution of shading in the system and its changes over time, leading to a forecast of the energy
yield of the solar system as well as a forecast of the power generated as a function of time for any
day of the year.


Wireless communication channels are used to immediately create a final report available online for
the investor, which includes additional graphs, forecasts and evaluation of the designed installation. 
The entire process takes only one minute, requires no expertise, and with AR, there is no need for an
employee to visit the roof and take physical measurements – everything can be done standing next to
the building.

ScanTheSun technology, by implementing the physical optical properties of individual solar modules,
is used to design both efficient photovoltaic installations as well as efficient thermal installations
using thermal collectors.
Based on the distributed resources of individual smartphones, the technology provides almost
unlimited scalability for ScanTheSun applications. The software is already in use in 173 countries
around the world.


ScanTheSun advantages:
-Precise design of a standard installation – in 1 minute
-Precise design of an efficient installation – in 1 minute
-No skilled personnel required
-No roof visit or measurements required
-Takes into account shading in the form of trees, chimneys, neighboring buildings and
greenery
-Design for more complex architecture up to 5 minutes
-Instant online report with a unique password

Energy Innovation Challenge | UN-Habitat: https://unhabitat.org/un-habitat-announces-winners-of-the-katowice-energy-innovation-challenge