Panel Layout and Map Tools
- Anne Wilson
- Atharv Gokhale
- Laurie Kane
- Eduardo Prieto
1. Choose a map or upload an image
Use the default map, or select another. See Map Integrations for all the options.
If using NearMap and MetroMaps, you can also select historical maps.
Upload building plans, drone images, or other online map images.
You can change your default map settings in Settings > Admin > My Preferences > Design.
2. Draw roof surfaces and layout the grid
Select the Add Surface tool.
Starting at the gutter, click on all the corners of the roof face, and double click to complete.
The first line you draw is the base edge, or lowest edge of the surface, and determines which way the panels will tilt, aka the azimuth. You can change it by selecting the Set Base Edge tool.
Edit Surface
To move the entire surface
Select the edit surface tool
Click on the blue surface border line to select the surface
Click and hold your mouse button down and move your mouse, and the entire surface will move.
To adjust the shape of the surface:
Select the edit surface tool
Click on the blue surface border line to select the surface.
Click once more and circles will appear on the corners and midpoints
Select and drag the circles.
Measure the edge of the surface by hovering your mouse over the edge.
Adjust the panel grid
The grid shows the possible locations to place panels. In the Surface Settings section you can adjust it in the following ways:
Adjust the surface pitch
The default is 23deg for residential and 3deg for commercial - you can change the default in your User Profile.
If designing a ground mount, the surface pitch is the slope of the land.
Rotate the panels from portrait to landscape
Select the Grid Layout tool
Click on the Rotate icon
You can zoom in and rotate each row separately.
Add gaps or spaces between rows (d)
Enter a measurement in the Row Spacing field
Move a row across half a panel
Select the 50% Second row offset option
Create blocks of panels
Enter the number of rows grouped together (in this example, there are 10)
Enter the number of columns grouped together (in this example, 3)
Enter the Aisle spacing in mm.
Add tilt frames
In Array Designer, click on Balance of System icon
Change Mounting Type to Tilt Frame
Enter Tilt Angle
Auto calculate row spacing, so panels don’t shade the row behind.
Add tilt frames as per instructions above
In Surface Settings, you will now be able to select the Winter unshaded period (10-2pm or 9-3pm).
Click Apply row spacing
Note the calculated row/aisle spacing.
You can also mount 2 rows together as shown for 2P systems
Click Apply row spacing after any adjustments to re-calculate the row/aisle spacing
To apply a certain number of rows together, first select the number of rows, and then click Apply Row Spacing
Ground mount
See instructions above for tilt frames and auto-calculating row spacing.
The surface pitch is the pitch of the ground, eg for flat ground, the pitch = 0.
East/West or Back-to-back
In Array Designer, click on the Balance of System icon
Set the mounting type to Tilt Frame and enter the Tilt Angle
If you want the panels to face East/West, then create a surface with the base edge (orange line) facing East and set the surface pitch = 0.
In Surface Settings, select Back to back tilts
Check the 3D view to confirm how the tilts are working
3. Create a ‘panel-first’ layout (optional for initial layout)
The panel-first layout is helpful when you have not decided on a system size and configuration. You can use the initial panel layout to estimate the number of panels that you can fit on the roof and then proceed with inverter sizing and stringing.
To create the pre-positioned layout, make sure you have selected a default residential and commercial panel in your user profile in the Admin settings.
As per the image on the right, simply click and swipe the mouse to place the panels, or add them individually.
Once you have a initial panel layout, you can select an inverter and drop inverters or trackers directly into that panel layout.
To clear the placed panels, hit the broom icon as per the image on the right.
The eraser icon will clear all panels that have been placed AND are linked to a string. You can retain the placed panels after having completely a string layout, by clearing the stringing with the ‘clear’ (eraser) icon.
4. Select an inverter and panels, or a pre-build package
Recommended System Size
The kW Solar recommendation is aimed at matching the average solar production with the customer’s average consumption. It is a simple guide only, based on the consumption profile loaded, the peak sun hours for that latitude, and an average system efficiency of 80%. It doesn't take into consideration battery size.
The kWh Storage recommendation is based on simple hours of autonomy. In other words, for the given consumption profile, if you want 8 hours of autonomy, then use a 10kWh battery. It doesn't take into consideration the energy from the solar array.
a) Either select a pre-build package
if you have them set up in your account
or
b) Select an inverter and module combination
Enter the inverter and panel names
Choose how many strings per MPPT, and how many panels per string.
You can see how many MPPTs the inverter has, the possible number of parallel strings, and possible modules per string.
The allowable string configuration is calculated based on:
the power, current and voltage ratings of the inverter and modules
the site temperature stats
design Standards (eg limit residential voltages to 600V, inverter 75% oversizing, 1.25 current multiplier) which can be adjusted in Business Settings.
Don’t worry about locking in a string configuration at this stage, you can change it later. Just make a selection and
Click Save
5. Place panels on the roof
There are a few ways you can do this.
a) Place panels one MPPT at a time.
Click the Drop to Surface icon for MPPT1
Click and swipe your mouse across surface grid where you want the panels to go
When the number of panels in the electrical design matches the number selected on the roof, the box will go green.
If you add too many panels, the box will go red
If you don’t add enough, the box will be grey.
You can adjust the electrical design to suit the roof layout.
b) Place all the panels from an inverter at once.
Click on the Drop to surface icon next to the inverter name, hold, drag and drop the icon onto the surface
c) Place panels one-by-one.
Instead of swiping your mouse across multiple panels, you can click them one-by-one.
Panel Layout for a System Upgrade
Create a different surface for any existing array in order to separate it from the new panel layout (each surface can only have 1 type of panel)
See Upgrades / adding to existing systems