📢 What's new
- New features
- Improvements
- Layout generation: improved shading limit calculations
- Structural gaps for fixed-tilt & east-west
- Electrical overview: added cross-sectional area and voltage drop
- Improved semi-auto cabling behavior
- DC main and DC string separation for combiner-inverter-transformer configuration
- Minor updates & bug fixes
- Aligned brand identity for Ground Mount
- Pile grouping
- Module Vmpp max value increased
New features
Layout generation: optimized mode
When generating layouts, you’ll now have the option to choose between standard and optimized generation mode. The standard mode is the one you already know and use: it takes a single value as input for the reference clearance, and then places frames so that such clearance is respected at the corners of the frames.
While this approach provides a good starting point, it still leaves potential improvements on the table when it comes to installation and grading costs: with the optimized mode we’re taking a step towards considering more constraints directly at layout generation, so that you can get a more cost-effective design.
How does it work?
In Frame & Park settings, height settings have been moved to a new tab: Height & Optimization.
Here you’ll be able to choose between the two generation modes now available: standard and optimized. The Standard mode works exactly as you’re used to, nothing changed.
The Optimized mode works with an input range, instead of a single value, and you’ll also see that a default setting is enabled: Minimize ground collisions.
When this mode is selected, the algorithm will fine-tune the placement of each frame so that grading collisions are minimized while keeping each frame corner within the clearance range. By doing so, the resulting layout minimizes potential grading volumes and pile lengths.
- This mode is only available for fixed-tilt and east-west mounts. For trackers, using terrain-following trackers is the recommended option.
- The mode selected in Frame & Park settings also applies to Capacity iteration, allowing you to combine it with the iteration option.
- Due to additional computation, the Optimized mode requires slightly more time than Standard mode.
We look forward to receiving your feedback on this new functionality!
Improvements
Layout generation: improved shading limit calculations
In Frame & park settings, the Allowed shading % input allows you to set a maximum shading limit for the algorithm to use during layout generation, which results in additional DC capacity when working with fixed-tilt frames.
The functionality only considers frame-to-frame shading to check whether the limit is being hit.
With this release, the layout generation algorithm can now better handle rough terrain and steep slopes when adjusting row spacing to meet allowed shading thresholds, while respecting pitch constraints.
In the northern hemisphere, this will result in additional DC capacity and less underperformance on north-facing slopes (opposite in the southern hemisphere).
No action is required on your end to tap into this improvement.
Structural gaps for fixed-tilt & east-west
Until now, frames could only be represented with piles directly touching the back of the module, which bundles the Pile reveal together with other parts of the support structure.
We added more detail to how you can represent mounting structures, and that can impact how you work with pile quantities. More specifically, you’ll be able to input a single quantity to represent the overall gap between the top of the pile and the back of the module. This way, you can clearly separate pile quantities from the rest of the structure.
How does it work?
From Frame & park settings, open Custom piling to specify the frame details and the structural gap:
Any changes made here will be reflected in other tools such as sectioning tools and Civil analysis. For example, when checking collisions or grading by pile reveal, the tool will now look at exactly the pile reveal - regardless of the gap defined on top of it.
Electrical overview: added cross-sectional area and voltage drop
When cable sizing is enabled in the Voltage drop window, extra columns will appear in the Electrical Overview to help you keep track of your work and electrical design details:
- Length
- Conductor (Cu or Al)
- Cross-sectional area (CSA)
- Voltage V
- Voltage Drop %
Improved semi-auto cabling behavior
When doing cabling in semi-automatic mode, if you’re using the Stick preference for the trench stickiness — as opposed to Short path — the generated cable will now reach for the nearest trench and follow it no matter what.
While this was the intended behavior, this improvement should result in a more consistent experience when working on large and complex electrical designs which might have more ambiguous edge cases.
DC main and DC string separation for combiner-inverter-transformer configuration
It was already possible to generate DC main and DC string cabling separately when working with central inverters, which allowed you to set different cable depths or heights, separations, and trench lines for the two different DC cabling generations.
With this improvement, we extend such capability also to the DC combiner - inverter - transformer configuration, which is especially useful in the context of cable sizing. This will allow you to define different minimum cable sizes and use different materials (Cu or Al) for each DC segment.
Minor updates
- Aligned brand identity for Ground Mount in the installer and AutoCAD add-ins tab
- Pile grouping: reduced minimum length increment to 0.01m
- Module Vmpp max value increased to 999V
Learn more about Updating to the latest version.
As always, we're here to help if you have any questions.