Updates May 2021

3D layout document, CAPEX templates, comparison charts, interface in chinese and italian

pvDesign - backend v4.13.27, frontend v1.0.16

New Features

In April and May 2021 we released many features which are a dramatic enhancement of the capabilities of pvDesign. Find below a description of all these features:

  • Layout 3D document: pvDesign now generates a 3D layout, which displays the terrain (either Google Earth or custom source), the mounting structures, and the piles. The terrain is colored according to the elevation.
  • CAPEX Templates: Users can now create customized CAPEX templates. It is possible to create custom cost entries, define default values for prices, and define categories and subcategories for each entry.
  • Comparison charts: We added a new tool to compare the results of different simulations. The charts are useful to study the fill factor of different designs, the production and efficiency, and the cost and LCOE.

     

  • Improved calculation cluster: We revamped our calculation cluster system to improve its reliability and scalability. pvDesign can now support a greater number of concurrent simulations.
  • Interface in Chinese and Italian: pvDesign can now be used in two new languages.
  • Remade cable calculation module: The cable sizing calculation module was rewritten to make it more flexible and customizable. The new features will be added to the user interface soon.
  • Improved IEC insulation coordination: Slow front probabilistic overvoltages were changed to adequately meet grid requirements. The associations obtained by connecting standard rated withstand voltages of all columns of the IEC tables are done without crossing horizontal marked lines.
  • Improved processing of complex areas: When uploading a KML or KMZ file, the available areas must pass a validity check where self-intersecting areas are rejected. We improved the algorithm which makes this check so that it can fix small imperfections in the definition of the areas.

Bug fixes and improvements

We also added the following bug fixes and small improvements:

  • We fixed an issue which caused DC bus simulations to fail.
  • The 3D layout was not drawing the available areas in some conditions.
  • The layout rotation angle was being interpreted incorrectly in the topography calculation and in the energy calculation if the simulation used the layout offset mode.
  • Fixed many issues and bugs with the CAPEX template page.
  • Added more chinese document translations.
  • If a site intersected with the boundary of two UTM zones, sometimes pvDesign rejected new sites due to the distance being greater than the maximum allowed radius. We changed the calculation of that distance so that it doesn't depend on the UTM transformation.
  • Fixed a bug which caused all structures to be outside DEM boundaries in some simulations.
  • Added validation of the horizon profile obtained from the PVGIS API.
  • Fixed a bug which caused the site details modal to only show the details of the selected site.
  • The details modal for the secondary inverter didn't work.
  • Improved many translations in the user interface.
  • Increased the maximum value of the distance to perimeter input.
  • Fixed the order of the losses in the Energy XLSX document in Spanish.