RELEASE 10.00.0

April 21, 2022

With Version 10 we are making your Bifacial Predictions more accurate and making the results easier to understand by adjusting how the Backside Mismatch is affecting Module Irradiance Loss.  In version 9 the Backside Mismatch of a Bifacial module would have an impact on the Module Irradiance Loss.  This was not aligned with how other software such as PVSyst or SolarFarmer works and so it was a source of confusion for our users who were comparing PlantPredict Results with these software.  We also noticed that the impact on Module Irradiance loss was overstated on predictions with very high Backside Mismatch losses (i.e. greater than 20%).

Furthermore, we are replacing Backside Effective Irradiance in our Loss Factors with Backside Irradiance and Structure Shading Loss.  In Version 9, Backside Irradiance and Structure Shading Loss were bundled together into Backside Effective Irradiance, and we felt that this was not transparent enough.  So, now you can see the Backside Irradiance Gain along with Structure Shading Loss to understand the impact that the structure shading is having on the energy results of your prediction.  More details can be found in our Models and Algorithms section of our website:  https://plantpredict.com/algorithm/irradiance-radiation/#679-2

Updates to our GTI DIRINT Model

With Version 10 we are also making an adjustment to our GTI DIRINT decomposition model to better handle diffuse light at sunrise and at sunset.  For predictions that were using subhourly weather data with Plane of Array Irradiance, we were noticing a spike in production around sunrise and also at sunset.  The changes we made to the GTI DIRINT model will smooth these effects out.  More information can be found in the Models and Algorithms section of our website here:  https://plantpredict.com/algorithm/irradiance-radiation/#disc-model

3D Shading Model processing time improvement

Lastly, with Version 10 we are making a change to our 3D Shading algorithm model that will speed up the processing of predictions that use the 3D Shading engine.  We are basically reducing the resolution that the model is using, which has a significant impact on the processing time of the engine, and is not having a significant impact on prediction results.  You may notice a change to your shading loss when running a prediction with 3D shading in version 10 compared to version 9.  You will also notice that the predictions take about 75% less time to run in version 10 over version 9.