Resource

PV Design Pro (USA)

Simulates photovoltaic system operation on an hourly basis for one year

This program simulates photovoltaic system operation on an hourly basis for one year, based on a user-selected climate and system design. PV-DesignPro is recommended for designs that include battery storage, which can be either stand-alone systems with generator backup or utility-interconnected systems. The purpose of the program is to aid in photovoltaic system design by providing accurate, in-depth information on the likely system power output and load consumption, backup power needed during system operation, and the financial impacts of installing the proposed system.

The program CD-ROM includes a climate database of 239 locations in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam and a Worldwide Hourly Climate Generator Program that generates hourly climates for 2,132 global locations from monthly data. The SolarPro 2.0 solar water heating program is also included. Six types of panel surface tracking are incorporated into the program: fixed slope and axis, tracking on a horizontal east-west axis, tracking on a horizontal northsouth axis, tracking on a vertical axis with a fixed slope, tracking on a northsouth axis parallel to the Earth’s axis, and continuous tracking on two axes. Panel shading information can also be input.