Partitioning for the Electrical calculation for Rooftop 3KW system

[sherry]

I’m currently working on a small rooftop photovoltaic system with a total capacity of 3 kW, consisting of 6 modules of Trina solar , 500Wp (Portrait). I’ve noticed that the electrical losses reported in my simulation seem quite significant, as shown in the attached screenshot.

 

Given the size of this system, I’m wondering if it’s necessary to consider electrical losses in detail or if I should implement the partition define feature in PVsyst for this setup.

• Should I be concerned about these electrical losses for such a small system?
• Is partitioning a worthwhile approach for a 3 kW rooftop installation, or would generalized assumptions be sufficient?

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Sherry

[Michele Oliosi]

Generally, smaller (rooftop) installations are more complex in terms of shading than large, regular ground mounted systems. In the latter case, strings are usually distributed on one or two large tables, and this pattern repeats, which makes it possible to use the “partition model” which is a simplified model to estimate electrical shadings.

In the former, smaller rooftop case, it is best to use the most detailed modeling of electrical shadings. This is the module layout option, which necessitates to determine exactly which module 3D model is connected to which string. Even though your system is simple electrically, given the 3D scene, shadings will have a non-trivial aspect and necessitate this more advanced calculation. You can see one such complex shading pattern in your first screenshot.