Panel Placement & Inverter Selection
The page is used to design and simulate a complete PV system, including panel placement on the 3D roof model, inverter selection, shading and irradiance analysis, and system performance validation.
Purpose of This Page
This page is the continuation of the project creation flow and focuses on PV system design and simulation.
After defining the project location and creating a 3D roof model, the technical design can be finalized by converting roof surfaces into an operational PV system. Decisions made here, such as panel placement, inverter selection, and shading analysis, directly affect system capacity, energy production, and financial feasibility.
What You Can Do Here
On this page, you can:
Select PV modules from the system’s product database
Define setback and placement rules
Place panels manually or automatically on roof faces
Configure panel orientation, rotation, spacing, tilt, and grouping
Select inverters manually or use automatic inverter suggestions
Analyze shading and solar irradiance on roof faces
Simulate the system to calculate production results
Panel Placement on the 3D Roof Model
Solar panels are placed directly on the 3D roof model created in the Roof Drawing step.
Each roof face is treated as an independent surface with its own. When a roof face is selected, detailed technical information is displayed on the right panel.
Roof Face Interaction
Roof faces can be selected either before or after placing panels.
Click on a roof face to see the face details
Panels automatically align with the selected roof face’s slope and orientation
Panels placed on one roof face do not affect other faces
This allows different roof faces within the same project to be designed and evaluated separately.
Available Characteristic Parameters
Slope: Inclination of the selected roof face
Azimuth: Orientation of the roof face
Area: Total usable surface area
Panel Count: Number of panels placed on that face
Panel Coverage: Percentage of roof area covered by panels
These values directly affect shading analysis, irradiance calculations, and simulation results.
Panel Placement Modes
After selecting a PV panel, placement can be done using two different methods.
Fill Roof Face
The Fill Roof Face mode automatically places panels across the selected roof face.
Automatically fills the selected roof face with panels
Uses defined panel settings such as orientation, spacing, grouping, and tilt automatically for each one
The system calculates the maximum number of panels that can fit
Suitable for fast, uniform, and large-scale layouts
This mode is recommended for standard residential, commercial, and industrial designs.
Manual Placement
Manual placement allows precise control over individual panel positions.
Panels can be placed one by one
Drag-to-place interaction is supported
Placement respects all defined panel settings; however, every panel can have different settings like orientation, spacing, grouping, and tilt.
Manual placement is useful for:
Irregular roof shapes
Avoiding obstacles
Fine-tuning layouts for aesthetics or shading optimization
Panel Placement Settings
Panel behavior and layout are controlled from the placement settings panel.
Available Settings
Orientation: Panel alignment direction
Tilt Angle: Custom tilt relative to the roof surface (useful for flat roofs)
Rotation Angle: Fine rotation adjustment
Horizontal Spacing: Distance between panels placed side by side
Vertical Spacing: Distance between panels placed above or below each other
Racking Type: Mounting structure type, which may affect spacing and tilt constraints
These settings apply to both manual placement and automatic fill operations.
Panel Bundling, Duplication, and Rearrangement
After panels are placed on roof faces, solarVis allows you to manage them as groups instead of individual modules. This enables fast replication of layouts and efficient adjustments across large or repetitive roof areas.
Bundling Panels
Panels placed on a roof face can be bundled into a single selectable group.
Select multiple panels on a roof face
Create a bundled panel group
Treat the bundle as a single object
Bundled panels remain linked and move together while preserving spacing and alignment.
This is especially useful for agricultural projects, as it allows you to adjust the tilt and orientation of panels simultaneously.
Arrange the panels into a bundled group in the solarVis account, as shown in the image below.
Place the bundled panel groups across the agricultural area, following the design created in solarVis.
Duplicating Panel Groups
Bundled panel groups can be duplicated and reused across the roof.
Copy an existing panel bundle
Place it on another roof face or location
Maintain the same layout and spacing
This is especially useful for industrial and commercial roofs with repeating geometry.
Editing Panel Properties After Placement
Panel orientation and geometry settings can be modified even after placement.
The following properties can be updated for selected panels or panel groups:
Orientation
Tilt angle
Rotation angle
Changes are applied instantly to the selected panels or bundles and reflected in production calculations.
Panel Grouping
When panel grouping is enabled:
Panels are placed as grouped frames rather than single units
Horizontal and vertical panel counts per group can be defined
Frame spacing can be customized independently
Grouping rules apply to both Fill Roof Face and Manual Placement modes
Panel grouping is commonly used for:
Large flat-roof installations
Standardized mounting structures
Shading Analysis & Solar Irradiance
When shading analysis is enabled, roof faces are color-coded based on annual average solar irradiance.
The analysis takes into account the sun array angle and shading effects from surrounding buildings, trees, and other obstacles on the roof
Results are calculated on a yearly average basis
Solar Irradiance Color Palette
Roof faces are visualized using a color gradient representing irradiance levels:
Purple / Dark tones: Low irradiance
Red / Orange: Medium irradiance
Yellow: High irradiance
This visualization helps users:
Identify the most productive roof faces
Avoid placing panels in heavily shaded areas
Optimize layouts before final simulation
Advanced Settings
Advanced Settings allow you to fine-tune how system performance and production are calculated.
These settings affect simulation accuracy, loss assumptions, and data sources used in energy calculations.
Advanced Settings are divided into two sections:
Loss Calculations
System Preferences
You can access this panel from the PV design screen at any time. Changes apply to the current design version only.
Advanced Settings are optional. If not modified, solarVis uses default industry standard values.
Loss Calculations
Loss Calculations define system-level losses that reduce theoretical production to realistic output values.
Each parameter is expressed as a percentage and applied during simulation.
Available Loss Parameters
Shading: Losses from partial or indirect shading
Soiling: Losses caused by dirt or dust on panels
Snow: Losses due to snow covering panels
Environmental conditions: Losses from humidity or wind
Light-induced degradation: Initial performance loss after a certain time of installation
DC connections: Losses at DC connection points, like connectors
DC wiring: Losses caused by the strength in cables connecting panels to the inverter or other components
AC wiring: Energy losses in AC wiring from the inverter to the grid
These values directly impact annual energy production and financial outputs.
Reset to Default
Resets all loss parameters to solarVis default values.
System Preferences
System Preferences define the data sources and assumptions used for production simulation.
These settings control how solar resource data and weather information are selected for calculations.
Available System Preferences
Production source (PVGIS, PVWatts)
Simulation year
Weather data source
By default, solarVis uses PVGIS-based datasets.
Changes to system preferences immediately affect simulation results.
Setback Configuration
Setback rules define restricted areas near roof edges where panels cannot be placed.
Prevents panel placement close to the roof boundaries
Applied consistently across all placement modes
Helps ensure installation safety and regulatory compliance
Setbacks help ensure:
Installation safety
Maintenance access
Compliance with local regulations and fire codes
Inverter Selection
After panel placement, an inverter should be selected to complete the system design.
Manual Inverter Selection
Inverters can be selected directly from the database
Full control over inverter brand, model, and specifications
Suitable for custom or advanced system designs
Auto Suggest System
The system can automatically suggest inverter configurations based on production analysis.
Analyzes installed project DC capacity and production behavior
Suggests optimized inverter configurations
Provides alternative inverter systems
Users can select one of the suggested options or override them manually
This feature helps ensure proper sizing and system efficiency.
Inverter Limiting
Inverter output power can be limited manually
Useful for grid constraints or design optimization
🧷 For supporting battery integration;
On-Grid projects: Hybrid inverters can be used.
Off-Grid projects: Off-grid or hybrid inverters can be used.
Zero Injection projects: Off-grid or hybrid inverters can be used.
Please note:
You can use an on-grid inverter in an on-grid or a zero injection project; however, in this case, battery integration is not supported.
System Simulation
After completing panel placement, inverter selection, and shading analysis, click Simulate System.
Simulation results include:
Installed system capacity (kWp)
Total panel count
Estimated annual energy production (kWh)
Impact of orientation, shading, and inverter configuration
Detailed outputs can be reviewed via Simulation Result Graphs.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Canvas Navigation
Mouse Wheel Up: Zoom in
Mouse Wheel Down: Zoom out
Design Tools
Esc: Edit mode
C: Create mode
Ctrl (hold): Multiselect mode
Actions
Ctrl + Z: Undo
Ctrl + Shift + Z: Redo
Related Pages
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