Hi all,

When I place panels on flat roof and change the row distance the total generated energy does not change. I can place them 10cm or 1m apart, it makes absolute no difference, even though in practice the 2nd and following rows will be in the shadow.

Why is this not included in the simulation or am I missing something?

Rob.

Hi Rob,

could you provide a project file? You can send it via private message here in the forum. This would make an answer easier.

Thanks a lot, kind regards,

Martin

Martin,

I have modified one of my test projects so that the panels are only 5 cm behind each other, at a 25 degree inclination angle, then reduced the number of panels back to the original system size of 18 panels (they get automatically adjusted to fix maximum on roof), and it still generates as much energy as before.

Specific annual yield is 981.17 kWh/kWp, which is pritty good for the Netherlands, especially if you could fit twice as many panels on flat roof as would normally possible.

I'll send the project file with PM.

Am I right that you have to purchase the PVSOL "Premium" package to get the 3D environment

to be able to have flat roof panel to panel shading included in the simulation?

Am I right that you have to purchase the PVSOL "Premium" package to get the 3D environment

to be able to have flat roof panel to panel shading included in the simulation?

 

edit: update

Reading back on features of the regular 900 euro PV*SOL  and the 1300 euro Premium version, and my conversation with Martin, which is quoted here,

I must conclude that the regular PV*SOL does NOT perform flat roof panel row-to-row shading calculation,  although all information is present; no 3D drawing is necessary,. Actually, 3D drawing is in most cases just too much work.

This is my sobering conclusion for an otherwise great software package.

 

Dear Rob,

it is true that row-to-row shading is not calculated in the basic PV*SOL version (without premium). Detailed shading analysis is available only in the premium version. I am sorry that this wasn't clear from the beginning.

Kind regards,

Martin