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Orientations in PVsyst 8

Introduction

In PVsyst 7, orientation was a set of parameters that included the orientation type, tilt, azimuth, tracking parameters, and more. However, except for the Fixed Plane Multi-Orientation option, the system only supported a single, uniform orientation for the entire project. All sub-arrays and the 3D tables were referenced to this common orientation.

In PVsyst 8, the concept of orientation has significantly changed. Now orientations serves as a central entity connecting the electrical system (sub-arrays) with the tables specified in the 3D scene. With this update, you can define multiple independent orientations, each representing a subsystem. This flexibility allows you to combine different system types, such as fixed and tracking arrays, or tracker arrays with varying axis orientations and tracking conditions, all within the same project. Each orientation may manage several combination of “system” sub-arrays and tables in the 3D scene. The orientation management has also been improved to provide more information about the system to the user.

Key Advantages of the new orientations management:

  • You can define multiple system types —fixed, tracking, or even a combination— within a single project.
  • It is now possible to have arrays using “unlimited sheds” or “unlimited trackers” orientation and arrays defined in the 3D scene.
  • The bifacial performance of subsystems with different orientations, pitches, and other parameters can now be accurately simulated.
  • You can create more heterogeneous arrays of trackers (example: arrays positioned on different slopes of a hill or with varying pitches).

This new orientation also applies to the stand alone systems,which may now be defined with several sub-arrays, and therefore several orientation or control conditions.

Orientations management procedure

  • Define one or several orientation in the dedicated menu. See Orientations definition procedure for the definition of the orientation objects and their parameters.
  • Define the electrical system with each sub-array having one or two orientations
  • Optional : Define the fields in the 3D scene receiving these modules. See system and 3D scene definition. When defined, the 3D fields should be able to receive all PV modules defined in the sub-arrays for each orientation.

The button "System overview" will show a summary of all your definitions, with possible warning and error messages. See System overview tool.