Build a smart array, run the forecast, and see how close you get to the best possible design.
Weather shifts across the day and your score is measured against the best design that stays in budget.
1 day
What it does. Solar Challenge is the design half of the solar lesson: you build an array on a budget, panel count, tilt, and mount system, then run it through a sunny day or a mixed-weather week and get a score for how well it actually performed.
Why it exists. Built for my own kids, and now something the science teacher at my school uses alongside the Solar Panel Simulator. That tool shows how one variable at a time changes output; this one asks students to balance several tradeoffs at once and see the result under conditions they don't control, which is a lot closer to real engineering.
The big idea. More panels and fancier mounts cost more budget, and the highest-output design on a perfect sunny day isn't always the best score once clouds, budget limits, and a full week of weather get factored in. Good design means balancing tradeoffs, not maximizing one number.