SOLAR PV Module
Smart solar farm design with windPRO
The Solar PV module in windPRO makes it simple to design and optimise solar photovoltaic (PV) projects—either standalone or as part of a hybrid wind-solar energy system.
Automatically fill selected areas with solar panels and calculate Annual Energy Production (AEP), including shading losses from terrain, turbines, and other obstacles.
Seamlessly connect your solar layout with windPRO’s full suite of data, mapping, visualisation tools and environmental assesment to accelerate your renewable energy development.
Integrate wind and solar energy projects
Fast and Flexible Solar Farm Design
- Auto-Fill Panel Layouts
Quickly draw areas to be filled with solar panels. The layout adapts automatically based on your selected panel type, racking configuration, and considers the shape of the terrain. - Define Multiple Areas
Design multiple layout zones with unique settings like tilt angle, row spacing, azimuth, and panel size to match varying terrain or design constraints. - Exclusion Zones
Mark areas to avoid—such as access roads, buildings, or substations—and ensure they remain panel-free.
- Various PV Plant Configurations
Analyse 1-axis tracking to maximize energy production or East-West PV panels to better align production with high electricity prices.
- Optimize the Layout using Solar Optimize
Find the best layout design for your objective – maximum AEP, minimum LCOE or maximum NPV. Account for plant height constraints, include time varying energy prices and more.
Save Time with windPRO’s Proven Workflow
- Reuse familiar windPRO features like elevation data, obstacles, meteo objects, and map layers.
- Visualise and analyse your solar project with an interactive 3D design environment.
- Quickly generate, time series and custom reports.
- Import PV areas using shapefiles.
Long-Term Solar Data Included
Quickly download irradiance datasets directly in the SOLAR PV module for the closest available location:
- ERA5, HELIOSAT (SARAH)
Include local measurements in the METEO object and use them to calibrate the global datasets.
Reliable, Bankable AEP Calculations
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Use measured or modeled solar data to create bankable energy yield assessments.
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Ensure consistency with standards used in professional renewable energy financing and reporting.
- Consider the influence of complex terrain on the AEP with the accurate terrain modelling approach.
Advanced 3D Shading Loss Analysis
Identify and calculate shading losses from all relevant sources:
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Turbine Blade Shadows
Account for dynamic shadows caused by rotating wind turbine blades using windPRO’s integrated wind farm data. -
Topographic Shadows
Utilise high-resolution terrain models (over 20 national datasets available) to simulate shading from hills and landscape features.
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Panel Self-Shading
Model how panel rows shade each other, including direct and diffuse radiation loss, using detailed terrain inputs. -
Obstacles & Nearby Structures
Include shading from trees, buildings, or other solar arrays. - Turbine Tower and Nacelle Shadows
Consider the impact of shadows casted by wind turbine towers and nacelles based on the 3D turbine models available in windPRO.
Let us help you bring your solar energy projects to life
- faster, smarter, and more accurately with windPRO.
Recommended Training
Learn more about SOLAR PV with taylored courses:
- BASIS (for users who are new to windPRO to gain basic understanding of the software)
- SOLAR PV (full overview of the functionalities of the module)
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windPRO modules for solar and hybrid plants
PHOTOMONTAGE
Visualisation of PV and hybrid plants on a photo or artificial landscape.
SketchUp INTEGRATION
Import and export from SketchUp.