Summary of the procedure

- First, define your System, with module choice, inverters, strings, eventually in different sub-arrays.

- Second, define the 3D shading scene, with sufficient sensitive areas for positioning all your modules. You are advised to take comfortable over-estimations in the sub-fields areas, without taking the real sizes of your modules accurately into account in a first step. The sizes will be adjusted afterwards.

- You will define the module layout only after these definitions are sufficiently well established and stable.

In the Module Layout tool :

Please observe the procedure advices shown top left.

- Import the 3D shadings areas in the Module Layout part (button "Get from 3D shadings" if not done automatically).

- Distribute the modules on the 3D available areas (tables) (buttons "Set Modules" or "Set All modules")

- Adjust the number of modules according to the system definition (electrical sub-arrays):

You can specify the spacing between modules.

You can specify whether you want a disposition in landscape or in portrait.

If too many modules, you can delete (inactivate) modules by right-clicking them.

If not a sufficient number of modules: you have to increase the sizes of your tables.

If you have to resize the tables, all tables of the given 3D shading object (a set of sheds) will of course be concerned. You have the opportunity of applying your new sizes to all objects with tables of the same size.

The balance of well-defined modules (with respect to the system) appears on top right. When ready (green):

- Adjust the real table areas (according to modules areas) for the 3D scene (buttons "Match this/all table").

This ensures a coherence between your 3D shadings calculations and the Module Layout tables. This is not perfect as some modules may be missing in your rectangular table.

After completion of these mechanical definitions, you come to the tab "Electrical":

- Check the number of diodes of the module (not always well defined in database) and the sub-modules orientation (not part of the datasheets).

- Attribute each module to a given string / inverter input,as listed on the left.

Either manually:

Select a string by clicking it on the left part

Click each of the modules to be attributed to this string

You can remove the attribution of a module by right-clicking (a second right-click will suppress the module)

Or automatically (button "Auto attribution")

For big systems, different options of filling mode

The balance of well-attributed modules (with respect to the system) appears on top right.

When ready (green), you come to the "Shadings 3D" tab.

- You can now calculate and visualize the shades along a given day (for clear sky conditions)

You should choose the table for which you want to visualize the shades

You have detailed shading factors results for this table

- Tab "I/V curves", you can visualize the detailed electrical shading calculations on each inverter input.

You can choose the desired inverter input.

You will see the detailed shading factors for the chosen inverter, for each hour.

NB: During the simulation, the losses will be calculated in the same way at each hour. Electrical losses will only occur with beam component if any.

Module Layout definition: Summary of the procedure

Module Layout definition: Summary of the procedure