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      Updates September 2022

      Interactive site creation, structure importer

      pvDesign - backend v8.1.19, frontend v4.1.0

      In September we released a new tool that will make life much easier for pvDesign users: the interactive site creation tool. It will allow users to create or edit sites directly in pvDesign, without having to use Google Earth. It is now possible to directly create and edit polygons, placemarks, and paths without leaving pvDesign.

      This development aims to reduce the errors associated with uploading KML/KMZ files by eliminating the need to upload a file altogether. In this same line, if you choose to upload a Google Earth file and the elements in your KML do not follow the pvDesign naming convention (or we are missing a mandatory element), pvDesign will guide you on how to make the site file compliant with our requirements.

      New Features

      These new features were added in September:

      • Interactive site creation tool: With this new tool you can now create sites without leaving pvDesign. There are two ways to create geometries for the site: manual creation, or importing a KML in the tool. When importing a KML, you will be asked to categorize each feature (for example, polygons into available or restricted areas). You can also add road shortcuts, MV cables between areas, or the overhead line path. The geometries can be edited after being created, moving or adding vertices. If the site lacks a required item, such as the substation area, it will be possible to save it as a draft. Only completely defined sites can be saved and used in pvDesign. It is also possible to undo changes while editing, and deleting elements. Finally, you can also clone existing sites and modify them.
      • Structure importer: It is now possible to create custom structures (single axis trackers, fixed or east-west structures) for use in the simulations. To do so, head over to the equipment page, structures tab, and click "Create structure". Some of the key parameters are the configuration of the structure (eg 1P or 2P), the maximum number of modules (which in turn determines the maximum length of the structure), or the gaps between modules. To finish the structure definition, set the separation between piles, which will be used to install the structure on the terrain. You may also clone an existing structure to speed up the process.
      • Japanese language: It is now possible to use pvDesign in Japanese. To change the interface language, go to user preferences and select the desired language in the dropdown menu. The documentation is not yet available in Japanese.

      Bug fixes and improvements

      In September, the following minor bug fixes and improvements were released:

      • Fixed a bug which affected plant capacity and DC AC ratio when using specific capacity.
      • Improved the text describing the meteorological data source in the energy XLSX file.
      • Fixed a bug which occurred when using the overhead line feature and a path with two points was used.
      • Fixed a bug which caused simulation errors due to triangulating complex polygons.
      • Fixed the calculation of the line inductance for the overhead line when there are more than 2 conductors per bundle.
      • Improved the calculation of the corona effect disruptive voltage in the overhead line so that it considers the GMR (geometric mean radius) and ambient temperature.
      • Fixed a bug related to a geometrical operation consisting of splitting a line by a list of points.
      • Fixed an error which occurred when calculating the layout of the roads.
      • Added the overhead line path in the layout preview and in the results page.
      • Fixed an error by which some roads connecting disjointed internal accesses where being removed from the roads system.
      • Fixed a bug which caused the maximum number of inverters per power station to be wrong.
      • Added the IMEDEXSA tower names to the overhead line report.
      • Improves the layout of MV cables when the access point is inside the substation area.
      • Fixed some bugs related to coordinate precision issues in the roads.
      • Improves MV system connectivity in small areas.
      • Fixed a bug which occurred when taking into account the restricted area geometry in the roads system.
      • Fixed a bug caused by very small areas which were considered empty.
      • Improved clustering of structures when a structure is outside the roads system.
      • Reduced simulation time for some specific designs.
      • Updated the substation report translation in French.
      • Fixed the layout of roads and MV cables when there were structures placed inside a hole of an area.
      • Improved the layout of fences in situations where structures were already surrounded by a fence.
      • Fixed the consideration of weather in the IEC calculations for the overhead line.
      • Fixed the calculation of wind loads in the IEC calculations for the overhead line.
      • Fixed geometry errors which occurred when performing union operations on restricted areas.
      • Fixed a bug which caused a simulation failure when generating the design report in Chinese.
      • Fixed a bug in the calculation of the battery layout orientation angle.
      • Fixed a bug related to OHL availability.
      • Fixed a bug which occurred when a power station had zero length and width.
      • Added the overhead line documentation in French.
      • Fixed an error by which the overhead line catenary calculation did not consider the weight due to ice accretion.
      • Improved the documentation download dialog so that it doesn't show BESS and overhead line documents if they weren't generated.
      • Fixed an error due to geometrical precision in the low voltage system.
      • Improved the layout of perimeter roads.
      • Improved the BESS layout for small battery areas.
      • Fixed an error by which an MV line between areas could not cross certain areas.
      • Fixed an error in the layout of MV lines by which some lines were incorrectly classified. This fix also improved the layout of roads by removing redundant perimeter roads.
      • Fixed an error in the representation of the MV lines which caused simulation errors.
      • The preferences screen in the interface was improved.
      • The translations for the interactive site creation tool where fixed.
      • Fixed a bug in the interactive site creation tool which affected the detection of intersecting areas.
      • Fixed the available area popups which were being displayed over structure popups.
      • Fixed a bug which caused a red background to appear in the topography tab.
      • Fixed the behavior of the sidebar when changing page.
      • Fixed a bug which caused undefined data to appear in the design comparison.
      • Change the implementation of the map in the projects map. Now Mapbox is used.
      • A modal is now shown to confirm that the user wants to delete a site.
      • Fixed the edit company logo option in the company page.
      • Added the BESS MV-LV SLD document to the documents list in the results page.