Development of a calculator for the SolarPanel project from BuildApps

Renewable energy trends are breaking all records and gaining popularity quite quickly. One of our customers is a leading expert in the solar panel industry and has his own blog where he helps enthusiasts build their own energy efficient systems. The customer's only problem is the lack of convenient tools for calculating parameters and configurations of platforms of this type. 

The specific calculator is the topic of this material.

Find out the project details from the next part of the case!

A well-known American blogger approached the BuildApps team to implement a specific system for his WordPress-based profile site. Since he is an expert in creating autonomous (energy-independent) platforms for buildings, the task was to develop a tool for calculating various parameters related to them.

He had already used  third-party calculators that were not very convenient and functional, which prompted him to develop his own solution. 

Thus, we had to implement:

• Calculator for the site, where the real parameters of solar panels, communications, etc. are calculated.
• Navigation through sections of the tool where you can change key features of the system. 
• Links to existing solar panels, their parameters, and to additional equipment for installation.

That is a relatively small amount of tasks with the appropriate deadline and requirements.

Since the project turned out to be relatively small, we allocated one developer and one QA specialist who were engaged in  developing the feature (yes, it is difficult to call it a separate application). We determined the customer's priorities, broke them down into small parts, and focused on building the system.

Within the framework of cooperation, we implemented:

• The calculator itself is based on Next.JS with an intuitive interface.
• Communication protocols of the system with the backend and numerous external resources (in particular, with the Google API for calculating the angle of inclination of the panels according to the geolocation of the house).
• A database, based on Google Sheets, is a table that directly contains parameters and configurations.

In general, we developed three (embedded) variations of this project, adapted the design to the style of the client's website, and handed over the finished solution to him.

As a result, we created several iterations of the calculator, which the client could independently integrate into the site and change parameters, including calculation formulas. We also implemented a unique system for calculating the angle of inclination of the panels based on the house's geolocation. 

Pages with calculators have become the most visited sections of the site in a few weeks.

Do you want to implement a similar project? Delegate this task to the BuildApps team!