PV SOl help - panel placement

[SolarRoofSols]

Hi there

I'm a new user to PV Sol Pro and have to say I am not finding the software especially intuitive.

On this particular roof, I would like to place 9 panels portrait and 2 landscape to avoid a shading issue and utilise some space on the smaller extension roof which is the same pitch and orientation as the main roof. PVsol only seems to be able to place panels either landscape or portrait, is this correct or am I not seeing a vital button on the screen?

Any help appreciated

 

[The Launderer]

PV Sol wont let you do what you are trying to do.

If you are using this so that you can show a customer what the panels will look like then there is a workaround.

What you need to do is put on your your portrait panels and then save the image. Then start again using the saved images as the starting image. Then fit the landscape panels onto image.

I hope that helps.

 

[SolarRoofSols]

Thanks for that, it seems like a big flaw in the software that is doesn't offer a bit of flexibility with the placement and help plan a system that utilises space without having to go round the houses! Does the Expert package offer this??

It is for initial size/output planning for a couple of jobs that we are yet to survey as as well as showing the customer, I will give it a try but it is a pain to have to go around the houses to do it because something we have paid for isn't up to scratch!

Thanks for your help!

 

[Noshocks]

You just need to add two PV areas to the roof, one you set properties to landscape the other to portrait, then you can move them independently of each other within the roof area, PVSOL will add together the total qty of modules for calculating output and inverter etc.

 

[SolarCity]

PV Sol Expert will let you do what you ask and in my opinion is worth paying extra for.

 

[The Launderer]

Its the same with expert.

You wont do too many jobs like that and as you get used to the programme it takes less time. I have a bigger issue with fact that I cant even offset panels



So to achieve the layout in the image I had to put the first row in then save and then add the second row and save and then the 3rd row.

 

[The Launderer]

PV Sol Expert will let you do what you ask and in my opinion is worth paying extra for.

I have expert and I don't know how you would do that. I spent time and money on PV Sol customer support and was advised by them the method I have described.

 

[SolarCity]

Are you talking about PV Sol Expert or Photoplan? The image above is from Photoplan.

You can throw panels wherever you like on Expert - landscape, portrait, different roofs, different orientations. The limitation of the software comes when you then try and connect these panels to an inverter.

 

[The Launderer]

Are you talking about PV Sol Expert or Photoplan? The image above is from Photoplan.

You can throw panels wherever you like on Expert - landscape, portrait, different roofs, different orientations. The limitation of the software comes when you then try and connect these panels to an inverter.

Are you saying that I can take an image and put panels on to give the same type of image as photoplan?

Does it look different from photoplan?

 

[SolarCity]

Not exactly an image, but a 3D drawing that you have created yourself - no problem.

 

[The Launderer]

Not exactly an image, but a 3D drawing that you have created yourself - no problem.

Yes I have expert and use it for creating 3d drawings. Find it very useful when doing shading calculations.

I like photoplan for presentation purposes. The customers like to see a picture of their house with the panels laid out on it. I thought that was what the original poster was trying to achieve.

 

[SolarRoofSols]

Thanks again guys, i toyed with the idea of getting Expert in August when we started gearing up for our MCS, but couldn't justify the extra cost at that stage.

 

[moggy1968]

robin hood, are you using babelfish?

 

[SolarCity]

I think he was cutting and pasting bits and pieces here and there. The result was a total spamalanche and I've banned him.