André Mermoud

You can produce a CSV file of hourly values, showing any variable chosen among the >50 variables of the simulation, to be analyzed in EXCEL. For this you have a button "Output file", just before performing the simulation.

The shed-to-shed slope is indeed specified in degrees (this mention has disappeared from the dialog, perhaps hidden behind the up/down control, sorry). Now when you specify a terrain: - either you position the set of sheds as an object on your terrain. In this case the first table will be positioned on the terrrain, and the shed object will be considered as a whole, with its own parameters. - or you specify your system as a set of tables, each table will be positioned on the terrain independently.

If you didn't use the "transfer" function before the crash of your computer (which seems evident...), after reinstalling PVsyst on a new computer (or windows installation) you have to take contact with our administration admin@pvsyst.com.

We have to get instructions from SolarEdge for modifying the installing conditions (which have been established in close collaboration with the manufacturer). We are in touch with them.

First, please be aware that this image is not directly issued from PVsyst. If it is based on a PVsyst configuration, it has been redrawn. Now for reproducing this configuration, you have to know the details of the project (more exactly the calculation version) which was used as the basis of this configuration. There were probably several sub-arrays, with different MPPT inputs and string lengths. Then, you have to reproduce the 3D scene that has been used, i.e. the exact shape of the façade and the holes.

Solaredge has not shared theid latest Guidelines with us. However I don't understand well which limitation you are speaking about. Please give a screenshot of window in error, and the exact error message.

This means that you have defined efficiency curves for 3 different input voltages (see the "Efficiency curves" page). But these input voltages are not well defined (they should lie between the Minimum and Maximum MPPT voltages, i.e betqween 888 and 1275 V in your case).

You can manage the IAM parameters in "Detailed Losses > IAM". You can change the bo factor, or define a customized IAM profile. Here you have also a detailed tool for the analysis and comprehension of this IAM loss. But sorry, we don't have reliable information about one or another product.

Yes in the present time the tree are considered as absolutely opaque. It would be very complex to define a semi-opaque shading in our calculation framework. And moreover changing along the year ...

The PHOTON database is indeed no more available. They have changed their site and the Database page is not accessible. However we are not managing this tool in any way. Nevertheless you can easily create your own components by yourself. The easiest way is to choose a similar existing device in the database, modify its parameters according to the manufacturer's datasheets, and save it under a new name, therefore creating a new file in your database. For Crystalline modules, except Isc, Vco, Impp and Vmpp, nb of cells in series and module sizes, you can let all the other parameters at their default value.

You should ask our administration admin@pvsyst.com.

In the "Orientation" part, you have to specify 2 orientations. And in the 3D shading scene, you can: - either define 2 array of sheds, and place them Back-to-back, - or since version 6.42, you can directly choose the object "Domes".

Thank you. It is indeed a mistake in this text, we will correct it.

For the initial year specification when importing ASCII data, I don't know. At first sight we didn't modify anything here. We will check. For the list of modification, it is indeed in the release notes when you download the new version. You can get all modifications in the "Readme.TXT" file, or on our web site, menu "Software > Software developments".

The "Active area" is the PV modules area. In PVsyst, it is the area of one module (LengthxWidth) times the number of modules. The "Ground area" is the area occupied by the PV array (not strictly well defined). The usual definition of the GCR (Ground Coverage Ratio) is the ratio of the Active area to the Ground area.

Defining each table-module as one "rectangle" is the correct way. If the tables are subject to shades from surrounding (not-regular), this will under-evaluate the real electrical shading losses. If the modules are in shed-like arrangement (regular shadings on each row), and you have more than one string per inverter input, this way will give correct results. Indeed, as as soon as 1/3 of the sub-modules are shaded in a string, the string will be completely inactive (for beam component). See the explanation on How to evaluate the effect of by-pass diodes in shaded arrays?

There was indeed a problem when manually defining the monthly values of a site. This has been corrected in the version 6.43.

This arises sometimes (rarely), but this doesn't prevent working with the 3D editor... This editor will be completely renewed in a next version.

The shading factor is the ratio of the shaded area, with respect to the full sensitive area. Therefore it is 0 when ther is no shading. Please tell me on which page of the tutorial the shading factor is one for no shadings. I checked and didn't see anything like that. (NB: This was the case in very old versions of PVsyst (perhap's in versions <=4, I don't remember). In the shading factor table, the height is defined as the angle between the concerned direction and the horizontal plane.

PVsyst only treats the mix of 2 orientations on a given MPPT input. If you have 3 orientations, you should define an average between two of them. The results will not be very different.

The parameters (tilt, azimuth) should match between the "Orientation" part and the 3D shading scene of course. Wanting to do otherwise doesn't make sense.

If you read the instructions on the dialog in "Preferences", you will read this: "This choice is for use outside of a project (tools, database and new projects). The model choice for actual simulations is now defined in the project's parameters". The project's parameters are defined under the button "Albedo & Settings" in the Project's dialog. Sometimes reading the instructions in PVsyst may avoid loosing time...

This publication is named "Measuring and Modelling Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT)" Matthew Muller, NREL, Sept 22-23, 2010. It is part of the presentations at a Workshop dealing with PV performance and Modelling, held at Sandia Laboratories (Albuquerque) in May 2010. I don't know if it is publicly available.

This depends on your maximum backtracking angle (depending on the pitch and tracker's width). If this angle is between 45° and 55°, the limit of 45° will arise before the backtracking limit.

The backtracking calculation is made analytically. It is a very complex calculation, I have not established the algorithms for special cases like tiltd slope between trackers. The only way for doing this in full generality would be to use a successive approximation process at each hour. Now if you have an irregular altitude distribution (for example on a hill), the backtracking has to be computed according to the "worst case" tracker's pair configuration. It cannot be optimal for the full array. If you want a "real" backtracking for the full array, you have to compute the orientation of each pair of trackers independently.