Modeling SolarEdge with unlimited sheds vs. sheds in near shadings 3D scene

[jbennett]

Dr Mermoud,

I am modeling sites using SolarEdge inverters with ballasted roof mounts with landscape module orientation. Tilt is 10 degrees and pitch is 1.37 m. Each row is only one module in height.

How to best model the row shade for such a system, if we assume no near shadings besides inter-row shade?

I have read the "help" article titled "Solar Edge Architecture" and your FAQ post "How to evaluate the effect of by-pass diodes in shaded arrays." However, it is not clear to me if the unlimited sheds orientation accounts for the effects of the bypass diodes when modules with optimizers are in landscape orientation. Or can this only be modeled via "detailed electrical calculation according to module layout"?

Many thanks,

John

[dtarin]

You can model this in 3D shade scene by configuring your partition size to account for the string optimizers and bypass diodes.

[jbennett]

@solarguru Thanks for the quick response!

Does this mean that the unlimited sheds orientation cannot account for bypass diode behavior at the sub-module level? Which is to say, when the bottom row of cells is completely shaded, it assumes all diodes open, regardless of module orientation or the number of strings on an MPPT?

Thanks again,

John

[dtarin]

Unlimited sheds can. For one module in landscape, define Nb of strings in the width of one row as 3; but you're likely to get a better result if modeling in 3D shade scene (how much better I cannot say). This would only be true for landscape orientation.

If modeling in 3D shade scene, with 1 in landscape, and a string size of 5, your partition size would be 3 in height, 5 in length.

[jbennett]

@solarguru

Ok, got it. Did not realize that the 3D scene didn't take the module diode information from the .PAN file into account when modeling between portrait and landscape orientation. That is very useful information.

Last question from me here. For "unlimited sheds" orientation, when in horizontal, should the "cell size" (transverse) also be doubled from the default, to account for two cells stacked in the cell group? I.e. in portrait, cell size (transverse) is 15.6 cm, and in landscape it would be 31.2 cm?

Thanks a million here. :D

[dtarin]

It should remain 15.6cm (or enter whatever the actual cell size is for your module). You are already defining that there are three partition sections (1 for each bypass diode), and by defining the cell size 15.6, you're then by deduction defining two cell rows per bypass diode/partition.

[jbennett]

Very good. Thanks again for the help, SolarGuru!