André Mermoud

This arises sometimes and I don't know why. This is a Windows problem. You can try to download the free tool PDFCreator (to be installed as a printer): http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator And choose is as Default printer. To my knowing this works in any case. And after that you can again choose any printer as default ! Mysteries of Windows…

When exporting a project you shoud use the option "Files" / "Export Projects/Components" in the main menu (your 3rd party designer should have done this). This ensures that all files involved in the project (i.e. .PRJ, *.VCi, .MET file, and components file if they are custom defined) are indeed present. And you can import this project using "Files" / "Export Projects/Components".

The number of sehds is the number of rows. It is useful for the shading factor calculation, as the first shed is not shaded. The shading limit angle is the limit profile angle, which just begins to produce shades on the next shed (row). It is shown in yellow on the Unlimited sheds definition panel. The "Profile angle" is the angle of the plane passing by the basis of your sheds and the sun, and the horizontal plane. There is no minimum for the limit shading angle: it is your choice. However, people usually choose it so that there is no shades in December 21th at 12:00.

This option of electrical shading calculation is only useable when you fully define the "Module layout" parameters. If you have not done this, the message is indeed empty by mistake. I have filled it for the next version 6.12.

Yes, the format of the PHOTON modules page has changed on 06/09/13. I had to update the importing tool accordingly. This will be OK in the next versions 6.12 and 5.71, available before the end of September.

In the version 5, the default transposition model was the Hay model. In the version 6, the default has been changed to the Perez model, as according a recent study it appears as slightly better. See in the FAQ, the differences in yield between the version 6 and the version 5.

It has perhaps been removed by mistake, I don't know. I will reintroduce it for a next version.

This option is to be used when you define a "Module Layout" configuration. If such a configuration is not defined, there is nothing to calculate, and this option should not be activated. It is indeed a mistake in the present version, I will manage for desabling this option.

You can simply try it by yourself, using PVsyst... And tell us your conclusions if you have interesting ones.

It is not possible directly in PVsyst (and probably in any other software). PVsyst is based on the Diffuse part. The DNI is computed in hourly values from the global and the diffuse. The DNI is defined on a monthly basis only as a sum of these hourly values. Now the generation of hourly values is performed using the synthetic generation model. This complex model is based on the Horizontal global (and possibly the specified Diffuse). We don't have any model for generating hourly values from monthly DNI data.

The direct import of the helioclim3 monthly data is not implemented in PVsyst in the present time. Some years ago Helioclim proposed monthly data (HC1) for several years, and I had developed the importing tool for these data. But the data format has changed with the new version HC3, and I did not yet write the updated tool in PVsyst. However you can easily create a "Site" in PVsyst using these monthly data: please use "Database" / "Geographical sites" / "New", and fill all the required fields in the dialog. You can directly "Copy" the 12 monthly values of the Global Horizontal (or temperature) from your ECXCEL file. The simulation requires at least the Global Horizontal and Ambient temperature data. All other values are optional.

The winter/summer time (named DST - Daily Saving Time in the US) affects the simulation during the year. It doesn't have any impact on the simulation results. Except for the financial revenues if you have specific tariffs for specific legal hours: in this case you have to do your financial balance by yourself (in EXCEL), using the CSV hourly output file. The DST is in principle defined in the Meteo data file. However PVsyst (as many solar software and meteo data sources) doesn't take it into account, and renormalizes all the data in the same time (usually the winter time). When you import an external meteo file which takes the DST into account, PVsyst corrects the values for getting homogeneous time definitions along the year.

In your workspace you only have the components that you have created or modified by yourself. The full database of PVsyst is in files stored in the c:\program Files\ directory. You don't have access to them and you normally don't need them. If you want to export a file of the database, you have to open it, and save it under another file name.

In the version 5, the default transposition model is the Hay model. In the version 6, it is the Perez model. Now these are models (with their uncertainties), not the reality ! The Perez model is known for giving slightly higher transposed values (by 0 .. 2% according to climates, plane tilts, etc). However please observe that these optima are very broad: a difference of some few degrees (with the same model) represent a very little irradiation difference.

This limitation is a protection against bad definitions (especially for the number of cells in series). It prevents the calculation of the model. You can change this limit in the hidden parameters, topic "PV modules".

I have corrected the issue with Polygonal fields for the next version 6.11.

You can get a plot of the clipped output in the results, using button "Hourly graphs". You can get here plots for any of the variables accumulated in hourly values during the simulation, including of course E_Grid. However PVsyst doesn't provide both curves at different powers in the same simulation. For this you should perform 2 different simulations with different installed powers. You can create CSV files of hourly data, for both simulations. Then you can analyse (merge) these files, and do the plots in EXCEL

In the 3D shadings part, the areas are first defined regardless the module sizes. I plan to develop a tool for defining these sizes in terms of module sizes for a future version. Now the Ground cover ratio is defined as the area of the modules themselves to the occupated ground area. This indicator doesn't involve the projection of the modules on the ground. Roughly for sheds or trackers, the GCR is computed as the sheds or trackers active width, divided by the pitch between rows (the pich is base-to-base, or center-to-center). This rough estimation doesn't take into account the surroundings of the array, nor the eventual space between arrays if there are several distinct arrays.

For creating a new site in monthly values: In "DataBases" / "Geographical Sites" / "New": - You define the coordinates of the site, site name, country, etc (you can do that using the Google map), - On the first page you choose the data source (Meteonorm or Nasa-SSE), and you push the button "Import". This loads the monthly values (second page). - PVsyst will prompt you for saving the site when you will exit by OK.

This error message is a generic one, issued by DELPHI in many situations. This cannot help understanding the problem without further information. If you report such a problem, please provide: - A screencopy (full screen) of the error message - The LOG files, that you can get from the main menu "Files" / "WorkSpace", button "Export Logs". (or in versions 5: "Files" / "Export Log Files"). - The description of the situation when encountering the error, in which situation you are, what you are doing, - Explain if the error comes systematically or just for some projects.

No, it is not possible in the present time. We will think about this proposition. However the part "Detailed computation" is only a quick tool for the estimation of wiring resistances. The parameter waited by the simulation is only the equivalent resistance of the wires of the circuit. For complex circuits, you can evaluate this global resistance by your own calculations, and just put the resulting resistance as parameter.

When this message is shown, you have an error message in red on the top right of the main page "Basic data", telling what is wrong or not understood by PVsyst in your definitions. Please take this warning into account.

No worries. PVsyst works quite well with 64 bits OS !

No sorry. PVsyst works with one-hour time steps. This is a fundamental choice, concerning namely the basic data storage. Managing sub-hourly values would represent a very deep development in PVsyst, which is not planned at the moment.

I don't know. To my knowing the Array temperature is imported correctly when using the option "Array temperature" in the format protocol. Please send me the source file, the site file and your format *.MEF, and I will have a look on your import. The meteo monthly data of the reference site don't interfere in any way with the reading of your hourly values.