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  • PV Sol alternatives?

    We have just set up in the industry and have been recommended PV Sol as a system where we can simulate solar PV installation. Having received a month long trial I can honestly say, from a position of working with bespoke software all my career, that it is the least user friendly software I have ever come across! You certainly can't teach it to yourself no matter how much you know about Solar PV. After putting in details for a current installation we were told that it would not pay for itself for 75 years?! Is there an alternative system, or is there another company selling it who may be a little more helpful than solardesign.co.uk? They sold me a month trial for

  • #2
    I like the PVwatts website
    http://mapserve3.nrel.gov/PVWatts_Viewer/index.html

    you might have to poke around nrel.gov to find your area, but you put in your array specs, and you get back, a year long guess, as to what your power production would be. Just add your electric rates to that, and you come up with payback period.

    Bright sunny sites pay back in 5-7 years, cloudy, gloomy sites may never pay back.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

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    • #3
      Look at Solar Pathfinder (About $500USD) including the pathfinder assistant software which is pretty self explanatory. This includes a world wide database for weather history.
      Up sides are it is accurate, inexpensive, and capable of doing thermal and PV.
      Downsides the actual instrument you photograph is not particularly user friendly when trying to use by yourself on a steep roof.

      Another is solmetric Sun eye The new one.
      Expensive, ( 2200USD) only does PV. The software is obscenely expensive and requires an annual contract.
      The instrument itself is very easy to use with one hand.
      NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

      [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

      [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

      [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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      • #4
        PV*SOL North American office

        Dear Redham,
        Valentin Software has a North American office that you can contact by phone or email. The toll free number is 888.786.9455, or the local number is 951.530.3322, the email is . There is no fee for technical support or customer service. The local website is


        WARNING
        Mod note. First time posters not allowed links, nobody allowed email in postings.
        use your member profile page for websites and email addresses, not the forums
        Last edited by Mike90250; 08-04-2011, 07:14 PM. Reason: link munging

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