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SIEMENS has developed a new software system which improves and accelerates the planning process for photovoltaic facilities built in open spaces.
Photovoltaic power plants in open areas (including roof-top generation) need to be customised in order to leverage the given terrain, weather conditions, customer requirements and the types of solar modules to be used in them.
The Siemens PVplanet (PV Plant Engineering Toolbox) generates hundreds of different plant layouts within a just a few seconds. It can analyse conflicting planning objectives such as electrical output and costs, and the effect they will have on one another.
According to Siemens, the capabilities of the software means a reduction of planning times by around 80 percent as compared to the common process to date of creating individual layouts and comparing them.
Siemens says the share of electricity generated by photovoltaic power plants on roofs or in open spaces is increasing. Installed photovoltaic output tripled worldwide between 2009 and 2011 alone.
However, planning large facilities is a very complex process. Shadowing can be decreased by spreading the solar modules far apart. However, this results in fewer installed modules and less overall output.
The balance between factors such as these, along with technical and economic considerations, is made easier with the PVplanet planning tool, which utilises mathematical algorithms to simultaneously calculate the cost and potential output of a large number of possible designs and then identifies the best solution.
Engineers who use the software initially enter basic conditions such as topography and weather. After that, they select module and inverter types and can also alter or limit parameters like angles of inclination, service access ways, and component costs. The software uses the results to calculate the electricity production costs and thus the potential profitability of a given facility layout.