Modifying Ada Auto Design templates

Love Ada Auto Design? Create your own templates to unlock even more power, standardisation and ease, so that Auto Design works exactly as you want it, for the whole team. 

To create your own template, there are 5 steps

1. Navigate to the Auto Design section in Control -->Design & Hardware
2. Create or edit an existing template
3. Add your preferred sizing rule for this template
4. Add your components
5. Optional- modify any advanced settings

1. Navigate to the Auto Design section in Control -->Design & Hardware

Go to Control --> Design & Hardware --> Auto Design Templates to view, edit and create templates. 

Top tip: Want to restrict access to this section for only admins, or only certain role types? Simply restrict this section using existing OpenSolar roles & permissions. 

2. Create or edit an existing template

Add a new template, or edit/ delete/ view an existing template, by choosing one of the options.

3. Set a name, and add your preferred sizing rule for this template

You can fully customise these templates, including setting a name and description, so you and your team can easily know which template is which, when using them in Design.

You also must choose a size type. We've designed these to be flexible to meet your exact business needs. The options are:

• Target Energy Offset: based on an individual project's energy usage, Ada will build a system to meet as much of the target % as possible, e.g. 100% or 150%. This will change for each project and unique energy usage.
• Set System Size: Ada will try and fit the largest system, in kW, specified in your range, e.g. 4-6.6kW or 8-10kW.
• Set Module Quantity: Ada will try and fit the max # of panels specified in your range, e.g. 12-15 or 10-20.
• Max Fit: Ada will fit as many panels as it can on the roof.

You can set Auto Design templates quite specifically, e.g. a "5-6.6kW" size template, or quite broad, e.g. 5-20 panels. If you choose a broader system size, we recommend choosing "Ada recommended" inverters, so that your inverters will always match the system designed, for each individual roof. 

4. Add your components

Add your preferred Panels, inverters and batteries manually. 

You can only add one panel type per template. You can add as many inverters, batteries and other components as required.

Top Tip: for inverters, choose "Ada recommended" to let Ada choose the best inverter for this project. Importantly, you can select a range of inverters and let Ada choose the best one for that project, to make your template even more flexible. As an example, you may choose a 150% offset size, and add a range of string inverters from the same brand, e.g. 5kW, 8kW and 10kW. In this case, Ada will intelligently add panels and the 5kW inverter on a small roof with low energy usage, and panels and a 10kW inverter on a larger project.      

The "Ada recommended" option will also auto-string your panels for you! 

Top tip: if your region offers mounting, you can choose to add mounting to your project. As long as you set the roof type (in either "Manage" or "Design"), Ada will add your preferred mounting system, and generate a Bill of Materials for you, automatically!

5. Optional- modify any advanced settings

For more advanced tweaking, you can choose specific Pricing Schemes, Incentives, Payment Options and Proposal Templates. By default, we will Auto Apply these. 

You can also modify the way in which Ada will place panels on a project:

• Panel layout restrictions: will ensure Ada only places panels in portrait or landscape, as you desire. If left untouched, Ada will prioritise Portrait in most cases, unless landscape orientations will fit more panels, in which case it will add landscape panels
• Azimuth range: Ada will automatically prioritise highest production facets for panel placements. Though for tighter control over your systems, you can choose to restrict Ada from placing panels in particular azimuths, e.g. avoiding North facets in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Modules per Array: you can choose to set a min or max # of modules per array, to ensure you are always designing installable systems, depending on your business