Helios 3D

Helios 3D is a software for the design of ground-based power plants, able to import and use a terrain representation in the AutoCAD format.

There is a special link in Helios3D for exporting the plant data to the shading part of PVsyst, using a specific format (*.h2p files)

Then, if the plant is not too big, the full study of the plant can then be executed within PVsyst.

Helios3D representation

Helios 3D defines "Tables", which are mechanical structures receiving a set of PV modules (not individual modules). These tables may have inactive mechanical bands, which participate to the mutual shadings.

Each table is defined with its nominal Azimuth and Tilt; but may also have a slope of its basis, following the terrain.

Please remember that when you tilt the basis of a table, the real orientation of the corresponding plane changes (see Base Slope).

Therefore Helios3D data result in a great number of elementary fields, with a spread of orientations (azimuths and tilts).

NB: When designing a PV plant in Helios3D, please be careful to let a little spacing between adjacent planes (say, at least 1 cm), as PVsyst doesn't accept the interpenetration - nor even confused points - of other objects in the PV planes.

Orientation analyzing tool

This orientation spread is a main difference with the installations usually within PVsyst, which usually have well-defined plane orientations.

A specific orientation analyzing tool is shown at the reading of the helios3D scene, and is also available in the main menu View / Plane orientation when spread is effective in the 3D scene.

According to the tilt, the "Base Slope" may induce an azimuth deviation of 2 to 3 times the Base Slope value (dependence shown on the tool), but without big effect on the tilt. Therefore each table will have a different orientation. These orientation distributions are shown on the tool.

All the table definitions may also be stored in the clipboard for a further analysis in EXCEL.

This orientation spread doesn't affect the shading calculations.

But during the simulation, the incident irradiance will be calculated once for the average orientation, and applied to all tables in the same way, resulting in a (little) orientation loss. This inaccuracy is not yet taken into account nor evaluated in the present version of PVsyst.