RatedPower has launched an updated, third version of its solar designing software pvDesign.

New functionalities include:

3D Layout Model: With pvDesign 3.0, you can generate a 3D layout document for all designs. This comes in a downloadable interactive DWG file showing a detailed view of the terrain, mounting structures, and piles in 3D.

Three winding transformer: pvDesign algorithms now include 3-winding transformer technologies, increasing accuracy of energy yield calculation for larger utility-scale PV plants and reducing substation costs. With pvDesign 3.0 a 3-winding transformer will be installed when plants have a total secondary-current greater than 10,000A reducing the total number of transformers installed and the final costs.

Enhanced Design Comparison Tool: The improved comparison tool allows pvDesign 3.0 users to compare different results using charts and parameters to find the best configuration. Some charts may include the GCR against the peak power or the energy produced, the DC/AC Ratio against the specific production or the total CAPEX or LCOE of the different designs from the same project.

Enhanced CAPEX tool: Upload custom cost templates and calculate project’s CAPEX and LCOE on the go for quicker PV plant quoting. Users can now add, delete or edit BoQ categories, subcategories and entries and choose the unit they would like to apply to those entries. In this section users can create price templates from scratch, from pvDesign´s default BoQ or even clone already existing ones.

Earthworks calculation tool: pvDesign will calculate the required amount of earthworks for your layout. Skip restricting areas and broaden the number of feasible plots of land where new PV plants can be built. In pvDesign you can set a slope and post length interval and, if the inclination falls in between that interval, the tool will calculate the amount of earthworks, cut or fill, needed to be done so that the slope remains in the lower limit and structures are installed. Integrated with the topography tool, pvDesign will allow users to exclude structures from the final project layout by setting the maximum slope limit and post length. This useful tool will be available in the next upcoming weeks.

“pvDesign continues to evolve in its ambition to cover all the phases of the design process of a PV plant. With pvDesign 3.0 our users will in just a couple of minutes have a detailed estimation of all the important elements needed for their project. Iterations will be as fast as always allowing LCOE optimizations with a level of detail and documentation that has never before been seen in the PV sector until now,” said Mario Bennekers, Product Manager at RatedPower.

News item from RatedPower