What is new in PVsyst 6 ?

[André Mermoud]

The version 6 is a major release of the software PVsyst.

Warning

As in most complex software, deep modifications may lead to unexpected behaviors in parts which were previously stable.

Although we intensively check before issuing each issue, it is really impossible to test or re-test every feature of the program, in any situation. Some improvements may have consequences on other parts of the program, and some parts will probably have to be updated according to these new features.

Therefore you are asked for carefully reporting the errors you can encounter when using the program, by providing explanations of the problem, screenshots of the error messages, Log files, etc. From V 6.21, there is a powerful tool for reporting crashs of the program to the developers. When it appears, please don't hesitate to accept sending the error report to us.

We also encourage any suggestion for the improvement of the software.

We list here the main improvements by respect to the previous version 5:

"Meteonorm Inside"

- Direct search of any location on the earth, using the well-known GoogleMap tool.

- Immediately get the monthly meteo values for any site, using the interpolating possibilities of Meteonorm 6.1.

- Synthetic generation of hourly values uses now the Meteonorm algorithm, improved by respect to the old PVsyst algorithm.

- Included import of meteo values from new databases, for example SolarAnywhere (SUNY model) satellite recent data covering the whole USA.

- Transposition model on tilted planes: Perez model now proposed as default instead of Hay, leqading to an increase of 0 - 2% yearly sum according to climate and orientation.

New Project management and simulation process

- New Project management Dashboard, with direct access to all parameters, simulation and results in a single dialog.

- Improved project management: copy, saving, transfers of calculation versions from projects to projects, copy of full projects.

- Losses: new organization of the loss diagram. New losses like LID, System unavailability, Inverter auxiliary or night consumption, Light-soaking gains for CIS.

- Batch mode for parametric studies: allowing to vary parameters in an EXCEL document, and get chosen simulation results of multiple runs as a table.

Improved shading calculations

- Direct shading factor calculation during the simulation (avoiding the interpolation uncertainties in the shading factor table).

- Optimization of the calculation of the shading factor, allowing calculations of big PV plants without limitation to some hundredth of trows or trackers (factor of 10 on the speed).

- Plants following the terrain, imported by Helios3D: analysis of the spread of orientations, management of the orientation average.

Detailed electrical shading losses

- Refinement of the "module layout" part, which allows to define the position of each PV module on the areas ("tables") defined in the 3D shading tool.

- Modules arrangement in portrait or landscape, sub-modules in length or width within each module.

- Attribution of each module to a given string and inverter.

- Detailed calculation of the I/V characteristics under partial shadings in each Inverter input, either as pedagogic plot, and during the simulation for the determination of the "electrical losses" due to the shading mismatch.

PV modules

- Tools for specifiying low-light performances, and adjustment of the Rserie parameter accordingly. Low-light efficiencies may be included in the parameters in the database.

- Modification of the default values for Gamma, when Rseries is not explicitely defined by the manufacturer, giving significant higher yields of 2-3%.

- Import of a measured I/V curve for the establishment of the model's parameters.

- Sandia model implementation, and comparison with the one-diode model.

- New parameters: IAM profile in the module's parameters, Vmax(UL) for use in US, full tolerance definition, LID for crystalline and Light-soaking for CIS.

- Easy choice of modules by manufacturers.

Inverters

- Multi-MPPT with unbalanced inputs - define main and secondary inputs.

- Additional parameters: transformer specification, CEC average efficiency for US, auxiliary and night losses.

- Easy choice of inverters by manufacturers.

Software Installation and Background

- New file organization, with clear distinction between internal database and custom files.

- New data management, easy copy of the the full custom data set from previous installations, no problems of Administration rights anymore.

- Certified installing package by PVsyst SA, registered in Windows.

- Easy automatic updates.

- New protection management.

Some main novelties in the versions up to 6.22:

- Multiple orientations, up to 8 different possible orientations, with correct shading calculations.

- Improvement of the diffuse shading calculation with tracking (and especially backtracking) systems.

- P50/P90 probability évaluation of the simulation result.

- Power factor, grid power limitation.

- Easier definition of 3D shading fields, directly with modules. Tools for easier Module Layout management.