Add gallery of examples using sphinx-gallery

docs/examples/README.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Example Gallery
+===============
+
+This gallery shows examples of pvlib functionality.  Community contributions are welcome!

docs/examples/plot_single_axis_tracking.py

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+"""
+Single-axis tracking
+====================
+
+Examples of modeling tilt angles for single-axis tracker arrays.
+"""
+
+#%%
+# This example shows basic usage of pvlib's tracker position calculations with
+# :py:meth:`pvlib.tracking.singleaxis`.  The examples shown here demonstrate
+# how the tracker parameters affect the generated tilt angles.
+#
+# Because tracker angle is based on where the sun is in the sky, calculating
+# solar position is always the first step.
+#
+# True-tracking
+# -------------
+#
+# The basic tracking algorithm is called "true-tracking". It orients the panels
+# towards the sun as much as possible in order to maximize the cross section
+# presented towards incoming beam irradiance.
+
+from pvlib import solarposition, tracking
+import pandas as pd
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+tz = 'US/Eastern'
+lat, lon = 40, -80
+
+times = pd.date_range('2019-01-01', '2019-01-02', closed='left', freq='5min',
+                      tz=tz)
+solpos = solarposition.get_solarposition(times, lat, lon)
+
+truetracking_angles = tracking.singleaxis(
+    apparent_zenith=solpos['apparent_zenith'],
+    apparent_azimuth=solpos['azimuth'],
+    axis_tilt=0,
+    axis_azimuth=180,
+    max_angle=90,
+    backtrack=False,  # for true-tracking
+    gcr=0.5)  # irrelevant for true-tracking
+
+truetracking_position = truetracking_angles['tracker_theta'].fillna(0)
+truetracking_position.plot(title='Truetracking Curve')
+
+plt.show()
+
+#%%
+# Backtracking
+# -------------
+#
+# Because truetracking yields steep tilt angle in morning and afternoon, it
+# will cause row to row shading as the shadows from adjacent rows fall on each
+# other. To prevent this, the trackers can rotate backwards when the sun is
+# near the horizon -- "backtracking".  The shading angle depends on row
+# geometry, so the gcr parameter must be specified.  The greater the gcr, the
+# tighter the row spacing and the more aggressively the array must backtrack.
+
+fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+
+for gcr in [0.2, 0.4, 0.6]:
+    backtracking_angles = tracking.singleaxis(
+        apparent_zenith=solpos['apparent_zenith'],
+        apparent_azimuth=solpos['azimuth'],
+        axis_tilt=0,
+        axis_azimuth=180,
+        max_angle=90,
+        backtrack=True,
+        gcr=gcr)
+
+    backtracking_position = backtracking_angles['tracker_theta'].fillna(0)
+    backtracking_position.plot(title='Backtracking Curve',
+                               label='GCR:{:0.01f}'.format(gcr),
+                               ax=ax)
+
+plt.legend()
+plt.show()

docs/examples/plot_sunpath_diagrams.py

@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+"""
+Sun path diagram
+================
+
+Examples of generating sunpath diagrams.
+"""
+
+#%%
+# This example shows basic usage of pvlib's solar position calculations with
+# :py:meth:`pvlib.solarposition.get_solarposition`.  The examples shown here
+# will generate sunpath diagrams that shows solar position over a year.
+#
+# Polar plot
+# ----------
+#
+# Below is an example plot of solar position in
+# `polar coordinates <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_coordinate_system>`_.
+
+from pvlib import solarposition
+import pandas as pd
+import numpy as np
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+tz = 'Asia/Calcutta'
+lat, lon = 28.6, 77.2
+
+times = pd.date_range('2019-01-01 00:00:00', '2020-01-01', closed='left',
+                      freq='H', tz=tz)
+solpos = solarposition.get_solarposition(times, lat, lon)
+# remove nighttime
+solpos = solpos.loc[solpos['apparent_elevation'] > 0, :]
+
+ax = plt.subplot(1, 1, 1, projection='polar')
+# draw the analemma loops
+points = ax.scatter(np.radians(solpos.azimuth), solpos.apparent_zenith,
+                    s=2, label=None, c=solpos.index.dayofyear)
+ax.figure.colorbar(points)
+
+# draw hour labels
+for hour in np.unique(solpos.index.hour):
+    # choose label position by the smallest radius for each hour
+    subset = solpos.loc[solpos.index.hour == hour, :]
+    r = subset.apparent_zenith
+    pos = solpos.loc[r.idxmin(), :]
+    ax.text(np.radians(pos['azimuth']), pos['apparent_zenith'], str(hour))
+
+# draw individual days
+for date in pd.to_datetime(['2019-03-21', '2019-06-21', '2019-12-21']):
+    times = pd.date_range(date, date+pd.Timedelta('24h'), freq='5min', tz=tz)
+    solpos = solarposition.get_solarposition(times, lat, lon)
+    solpos = solpos.loc[solpos['apparent_elevation'] > 0, :]
+    label = date.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
+    ax.plot(np.radians(solpos.azimuth), solpos.apparent_zenith, label=label)
+
+ax.figure.legend(loc='upper left')
+
+# change coordinates to be like a compass
+ax.set_theta_zero_location('N')
+ax.set_theta_direction(-1)
+ax.set_rmax(90)
+
+plt.show()
+
+#%%
+# This is a polar plot of hourly solar zenith and azimuth. The figure-8
+# patterns are called `analemmas <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma>`_ and
+# show how the sun's path slowly shifts over the course of the year .  The
+# colored lines show the single-day sun paths for the winter and summer
+# solstices as well as the spring equinox.
+#
+# The soltice paths mark the boundary of the sky area that the sun traverses
+# over a year.  The diagram shows that there is no point in the
+# year when is the sun directly overhead (zenith=0) -- note that this location
+# is north of the Tropic of Cancer.
+#
+# Examining the sun path for the summer solstice in particular shows that
+# the sun rises north of east, crosses into the southern sky around 10 AM for a
+# few hours before crossing back into the northern sky around 3 PM and setting
+# north of west.  In contrast, the winter solstice sun path remains in the
+# southern sky the entire day.  Moreover, the diagram shows that the winter
+# solstice is a shorter day than the summer soltice -- in December, the sun
+# rises after 7 AM and sets before 6 PM, whereas in June the sun is up before
+# 6 AM and sets after 7 PM.
+#
+# Another use of this diagram is to determine what times of year the sun is
+# blocked by obstacles. For instance, for a mountain range on the western side
+# of an array that extends 10 degrees above the horizon, the sun is blocked:
+#
+# - after about 6:30 PM on the summer solstice
+# - after about 5:30 PM on the spring equinox
+# - after about 4:30 PM on the winter solstice
+
+#%%
+# PVSyst Plot
+# -----------
+#
+# PVSyst users will be more familiar with sunpath diagrams in Cartesian
+# coordinates:
+
+from pvlib import solarposition
+import pandas as pd
+import numpy as np
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+tz = 'Asia/Calcutta'
+lat, lon = 28.6, 77.2
+times = pd.date_range('2019-01-01 00:00:00', '2020-01-01', closed='left',
+                      freq='H', tz=tz)
+
+solpos = solarposition.get_solarposition(times, lat, lon)
+# remove nighttime
+solpos = solpos.loc[solpos['apparent_elevation'] > 0, :]
+
+fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+points = ax.scatter(solpos.azimuth, solpos.apparent_elevation, s=2,
+                    c=solpos.index.dayofyear, label=None)
+fig.colorbar(points)
+
+for hour in np.unique(solpos.index.hour):
+    # choose label position by the largest elevation for each hour
+    subset = solpos.loc[solpos.index.hour == hour, :]
+    height = subset.apparent_elevation
+    pos = solpos.loc[height.idxmax(), :]
+    ax.text(pos['azimuth'], pos['apparent_elevation'], str(hour))
+
+for date in pd.to_datetime(['2019-03-21', '2019-06-21', '2019-12-21']):
+    times = pd.date_range(date, date+pd.Timedelta('24h'), freq='5min', tz=tz)
+    solpos = solarposition.get_solarposition(times, lat, lon)
+    solpos = solpos.loc[solpos['apparent_elevation'] > 0, :]
+    label = date.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
+    ax.plot(solpos.azimuth, solpos.apparent_elevation, label=label)
+
+ax.figure.legend(loc='upper left')
+ax.set_xlabel('Solar Azimuth (degrees)')
+ax.set_ylabel('Solar Elevation (degrees)')
+
+plt.show()

docs/sphinx/source/conf.py

@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
 # Mock modules so RTD works
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
+# for warning suppression
+import warnings
+
 
 class Mock(MagicMock):
     @classmethod
@@ -55,7 +58,8 @@ def __getattr__(cls, name):
     'sphinx.ext.napoleon',
     'sphinx.ext.autosummary',
     'IPython.sphinxext.ipython_directive',
-    'IPython.sphinxext.ipython_console_highlighting'
+    'IPython.sphinxext.ipython_console_highlighting',
+    'sphinx_gallery.gen_gallery',
 ]
 
 napoleon_use_rtype = False  # group rtype on same line together with return
@@ -324,3 +328,16 @@ def setup(app):
 # suppress "WARNING: Footnote [1] is not referenced." messages
 # https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/issues/837
 suppress_warnings = ['ref.footnote']
+
+# settings for sphinx-gallery
+sphinx_gallery_conf = {
+    'examples_dirs': ['../../examples'],  # location of gallery scripts
+    'gallery_dirs': ['auto_examples'],  # location of generated output
+    # sphinx-gallery only shows plots from plot_*.py files by default:
+    # 'filename_pattern': '*.py',
+}
+# supress warnings in gallery output
+# https://sphinx-gallery.github.io/stable/configuration.html
+warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", category=UserWarning,
+                        message='Matplotlib is currently using agg, which is a'
+                                ' non-GUI backend, so cannot show the figure.')

docs/sphinx/source/index.rst

@@ -80,7 +80,8 @@ Contents
    :maxdepth: 1
 
    package_overview
-   introexamples
+   introtutorial
+   auto_examples/index
    whatsnew
    installation
    contributing

docs/sphinx/source/introexamples.rst → docs/sphinx/source/introtutorial.rst

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-.. _introexamples:
+.. _introtutorial:
 
-Intro Examples
+Intro Tutorial
 ==============
 
 This page contains introductory examples of pvlib python usage.

docs/sphinx/source/package_overview.rst

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ interoperable, and benchmark implementations of PV system models.
 There are at least as many opinions about how to model PV systems as
 there are modelers of PV systems, so pvlib-python provides several
 modeling paradigms: functions, the Location/PVSystem classes, and the
-ModelChain class. Read more about this in the :ref:`introexamples`
+ModelChain class. Read more about this in the :ref:`introtutorial`
 section.
 
 

docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.7.1.rst

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Testing
 
 Documentation
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+* Created an Example Gallery. (:pull:`846`)
 * Updated list of allowed years for `iotools.get_psm3`.
 
 Contributors

setup.py

@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@
 EXTRAS_REQUIRE = {
     'optional': ['ephem', 'cython', 'netcdf4', 'nrel-pysam', 'numba',
                  'pvfactors', 'scipy', 'siphon', 'tables'],
-    'doc': ['ipython', 'matplotlib', 'sphinx == 1.8.5', 'sphinx_rtd_theme'],
+    'doc': ['ipython', 'matplotlib', 'sphinx == 1.8.5', 'sphinx_rtd_theme',
+            'sphinx-gallery'],
     'test': TESTS_REQUIRE
 }
 EXTRAS_REQUIRE['all'] = sorted(set(sum(EXTRAS_REQUIRE.values(), [])))