Tools

Useful tools​

This section lists some tools/calculators/utilities to help you select the right equipment.

Solar geographical information​

• PVGIS by the EU with PV performance, solar radiation and typical meteorological year calculators

PV panel temperature impact​

• Max Voc and Pmax calculator to check if your string voltage does not exceed the maximum your MPPT can handle in cold weather.

Energy checklist​

• An energy audit and systems sizing tool.

Wire size calculator​

• Tool to calculate wire size based on required voltage and current (and voltage drop is calculated)
• Voltage drop calculator

Economic & Energy Simulators​

• SAM (System Advisor Model) from NREL is the most comprehensive free tool available (and one of the hardest to use, fortunately there are video tutorials). It can accurately model your PV system using local weather conditions.
• PVWatts is a simpler subset of SAM only focused on energy aspects of PV solar.