Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #11

Friendly Tip: The version used for the following Q&A is PVsyst 6.68 or above. For other versions, please refer to this for guidance. 1. In the PVsyst 6.70 version, why is the near-field shading loss not 0% after selecting inverse tracking for a flat single-axis bifacial system? [Teacher Jiang from Candela Academy]answer: Solar radiation primarily consists of direct radiation, scattered radiation, and reflected radiation from the terrain. Direct radiation is a portion of solar radiation that strikes a surface as parallel rays. When PV modules are shaded, distinct shadows are cast behind them. The 'Near Shading loss' in near-field shadow loss primarily encompasses the obstruction loss of direct radiation, scattered radiation, and reflected radiation, which is present in both fixed and tracking systems. However, using backtracking reduces the obstruction loss of direct radiation to zero, revealing the loss of scattered radiation, which is always mixed and cannot be separated in…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #10

1. How can I obtain the yield of P65 in the Report? [Teacher Chen]: In probability theory, P95 and P50 are commonly used terms, meaning there is a 95% or 50% reliability. For yield, reaching this value has a 95% or 50% probability. Ordered by the value, generally P95 < P50. That is to say, P95 is easier to achieve than P50. On the initial setting interface of the PVsyst grid-connected system project, we can find the "Miscellaneous tools" button shown in Figure 1. After opening, select "P50-P90 estimation". By default, PVsyst selects P50, P90, and P95 scenarios. As shown in Figure 2. If there is no measured value for the parameters on the left, default values can be used. Among them, the most influential is the irradiation data. According to the research results of PVsyst, the uncertainty of irradiation data can refer to Figure 3, which shows the relationship…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #9

1. How to increase or decrease the range of the Fille Zone in the 3D modeling interface? [Teacher Chen]: As shown in Figure 1, the ZONE rectangle is depicted. The size of the rectangle is primarily adjusted by moving the red solid small square with the left mouse button. When the cross arrow of the mouse is placed over the small square, it can be moved. To delete the small square, use the right mouse button. To add a small square, move the mouse to the outer dotted line of the ZONE area and click the left mouse button. ▲Figure 1 2. What is the difference between the meteorology data file exported from Meteonorm meteorological software and the built-in Meteonorm meteorological data in PVsyst? [Teacher Chen]:The data we exported from Meteonorm software typically has a time interval of Hour, and after importing it into PVsyst, we can see from Figure…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #8

Friendly Tip: The software version used in the following Q&A section is PVsyst 6.66 or 6.67. For other versions, please refer to them for reference. 1. Is the product of the loss ratios in the loss report graph equal to PR? [Teacher Chen]: The following Figure 1 is a loss diagram extracted from the report of a 20kW photovoltaic power generation system, with a PR value of 77.1%. For accuracy, the decimal point in the loss ratio has been adjusted from the default 1 to 3 digits. From the loss diagram, it can be seen that the total radiation on the photovoltaic plane is 5% higher than the horizontal total radiation. When calculating the PR based on actual values, this item cannot be included. As shown in Table 1, the actual calculated PR value is 97.51%*97.46%*97.00%*98.58%*94.36%*97.77%*100.48%*98.00%*98.90%*99.10%*97.70%*97.59%=77.1%. Therefore, it is basically consistent with the PR value simulated in the actual Report.…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #7

Friendly Tip: The software version used in the following Q&A section is PVsyst 6.66 or 6.67. For other versions, please refer to them for reference. 1. Can PVsyst output the sunlight and temperature data for every hour of the entire year? [Teacher Yang]: On the initial interface of the grid-connected system design, settings are made in the "output file" section within "Advanced simul.". By default, the software does not output any files after simulation, meaning the "Datafile output" option is set to "No output" (i.e., no files are output). However, we can choose "Output on filename" and set the path for saving the file (default or User-defined). After the simulation is completed, a file for each hour will be automatically generated, which can be opened using Excel. Since the file is generally in Csv format, with spaces or semicolons as separators, the columnar data can be presented using Excel's columnar splitting function.…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #6

The PVsyst version used for the following Q&A is 6.66 or 6.67, and other versions can be referenced for guidance 1. When the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) systems exceeds 1MW, clicking the Layout button for PV module arrangement will result in the pop-up alert box shown in Figure 1. How can this be resolved? ▲Figure 1 [Answer from Teacher Chen]: The hidden parameter settings interface of the PVsyst software imposes certain restrictions on the photovoltaic installed capacity to be simulated. As shown in Figure 2, open the main interface of PVsyst software, click on the menu bar "Preferences" → "Edit hidden parameters", and select the category (Category) shown in Figure 2. It can be observed that when the photovoltaic installed capacity exceeds 1MW, opening the "Layout" function will pop up a "Warring" (warning). If it exceeds 5MW, then the "Layout" function will be unusable. To solve this problem, the…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #2

1. Question: Can PVsyst export hourly photovoltaic output? [Answer from Teacher Chen]: Yes, you can. Open the PVsyst simulation interface and click the "Output File" button, which is "Export file", as shown in Figure 1. ▲Figure 1 After opening, the interface shown in Figure 2 appears. By default, PVsyst does not output any files after simulation, but we can choose to output files and set the relevant formats of the output files, such as date and time format, separator symbol for numerical values, and whether the time span of numerical values is displayed in hours, months, or days. There is a blank option box on the right side, where you can select the corresponding variables according to your needs. The variables from top to bottom in Figure 2 are the total radiation amount of the photovoltaic plane, the maximum power output of the DC-side photovoltaic arrays, and the mismatch loss…

Fresh Questions, Practical Answers: PVsyst Q&A Series #1

1. Question: After solar tracking, the curve of the PV Rack Model does not take 12 noon as the symmetry point. What is the reason? ▲Figure 1 As shown in the figure above, the tracking curve is traced with 1 pm as the symmetry point. This issue did not occur in previous versions before the update. [Answer from Teacher Chen]: The situation shown in Figure 1 occurs because the dynamic shadow simulation in the 3D modeling interface does not use Solar Time. PVsyst defaults to Legal Time. If Solar Time is used, as in the photovoltaic array shown in Figure 2, the shadow results will be symmetrical. However, it should be noted that if there are other obstacles near the photovoltaic array, the shadow results will generally not be symmetrical at 12 noon, regardless of whether the simulation is done using Solar Time or Legal Time. ▲Figure 2 2. Question:…