Solar Generation

Modified on Fri, 8 Apr, 2022 at 3:28 PM

Solar Generation Library Help

Ekotrope uses the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) PVWatts model to calculate annual production from Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. The inputs below match those required for PVWatts.

Track Mode	This solar array’s mode of tracking sunlight. If the solar array does not track sunlight, track mode “Fixed” must be selected.
Nameplate Capacity	The full-load output of this solar array, in units kWdc, as published by the manufacturer. In buildings with multiple Dwelling Units, the Solar Generation should be pro-rated for each Dwelling Unit based on the number of bedrooms. For example, for a building with a 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom unit and a 15 kW solar array, 5 kW should be assigned to the 1 bedroom unit and 10 kW assigned to the 2 bedroom unit.
Derate Factor	DC to AC derate factor of the PV system [0-1]. You can use this calculator for Derate Factor. The default value is 0.77.
Orientation	The cardinal direction of the solar PV array, measured in degrees clockwise from north. 0 is North, 90 is East, 180 is South, and 270 is West. Clicking “Rotate 45 Deg.” or “Find Worst Orientation” at the bottom of the page will have no effect on solar orientation.
Tilt	The pitch of the solar panel, measured in degrees from the horizontal. At 0 degrees, the solar panel is perfectly horizontal-facing. At 90 degrees, the solar panel is perfectly vertical-facing.

NOTE: If you have received a detailed solar production analysis from a solar system designer, you can optionally choose to use Ekotrope's "Other Onsite Generation?" section and enter the annual kWh production directly instead. Please verify that this approach is acceptable to your quality assurance provider.