How to design commercial projects in OpenSolar

Summary:

OpenSolar’s 3D design mode offers advanced simulation capabilities by raytracing each solar module and modeling inverter performance at the MPPT level. While this delivers greater modeling accuracy, it also introduces computational complexity, particularly for large commercial projects.

For best performance and stability, we recommend keeping 3D system designs under 500 kW.

Why the 500 kW Design Size Limit?

When designing in 3D:

• Raytracing is performed for every module in the layout.

• Inverter and MPPT performance are simulated independently based on string configurations.

• These features result in more granular insights than conventional solar software but also increase the computational load significantly.

Designs larger than 500 kW are technically possible, but users may encounter:

• Slow simulation speeds

• Calculation timeouts

• Errors during saving or rendering

Designing Projects Over 500 kW

Users have successfully modeled systems up to 5 MW by reducing simulation complexity. Follow these strategies for best results:

Recommended Configuration Tips

• Limit Design Options

  • Keep the number of System Design Options to 2.

• Limit Payment Options

  • Use a maximum of 6 total payment options across all system designs.

• Use 2D Design Mode

  • 2D designs do not perform raytracing, which drastically reduces calculation load.

• Avoid Detailed Inverter Modeling (if applicable)

  • For string inverters, avoid assigning string configurations; instead, specify inverter efficiency directly.

  • This does not apply to microinverters—those must still be assigned, as unstrung panels default to using microinverters.

• Reduce Panel Groups

  • Fewer panel groups = faster rendering and calculations.

• Use the Recalculate Button (for 3D Projects)

  • Available in the Summary tab for large 3D projects (≥50 panels, SAM engine).

  • Appears after any change is made in 3D view with “3D” or “None” map type.

Tips for Speeding Up Commercial Designs

1. Use “Fill Rectangle” for Fast Array Creation

• Quickly populate large areas with panels by setting:

  • Length (rows) and Width (columns)

  • Then click “Fill Rectangle” to auto-generate your layout

2. Customize Panel Group Settings

Click on a panel group to configure settings in the left-hand sidebar:

Quick Manual Stringing (Row-Based Only)

To manually string modules faster:

• Click the first panel in a row

• Then click the last panel in the same row

• All modules between the two clicks will be strung automatically

Note: This shortcut only works horizontally (row-wise), not across columns.