Hi,

I am using Skelion plugin in Sketchup and I created a csv file with shading factors. Can I import this file in PvSol 2017?

Regards,

Esteban A.

Hi Esteban,

happy new year!

You don't need to import the shading factors. We calculate the overall diffuse shading factor for each module and the direct shading factors for each module and each simulation time step, so this will be a lot more precise than the averaged values from Skelion. We also detect where exactly the shading occurs on module level, so we can precisely calculate the electrical shading, diode and mismatch losses, also depending on the electrical layout of the PV array and the modules themselves (horizontal or vertical strings). Thanks to our detailed shading analysis you can also investigate the different shadig behaviour of crystalline silicon or thin film modules.

You can export your Sketchup model, without the PV modules perhaps) as *.dae and import it in PV*SOL premium (2018 R1 or newer). Then, in PV*SOL, place your modules where you placed them in Sketchup and connect them to an inverter. Then you can simulate them, and also have a look at the current-voltage characteristics afterwards to see how the shading affects the energy output of your modules.

Hope that helps, kind regards,

Martin