Library Components

Weather Library

The weather library displays all available weather files. A weather file can be added by selecting Import Weather.

Once selected, a new screen is presented prompting the selection of weather file format. PlantPredict supports many weather file formats such as Solar Prospector, NREL TMY3, Meteonorm TMY3, Geomodel Solar, etc.

Once the correct weather file format is selected, choose the file to be imported. Upon import completion, the newly added weather file is displayed in the list of available weather files.

Weather file summaries, charts and raw data can be viewed by selecting any available weather file listed.

Weather file comparison can also be made by pressing Compare and selecting 2 or more weather files. Sub hourly weather is also accepted using the PlantPredict format if the timestamp is correctly adjusted.

Weather Data Providers

PlantPredict offers many different resources for downloading and acquiring weather data.

*Denotes a free weather provider

NSRDB SUNY*

National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) SUNY developed using the Perez semi-empirical satellite model. Link to provider source.

 

NSRDB PSM*

National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) using the Physical Solar Model (PSM), offering users the latest available data (1998–2014). Link to provider source.

 

Clean Power Research

Limited free trial of SolarAnywhere’s web service providing programmatic access to Clean Power Research irradiance and weather datasets. Link to provider source.

 

Meteonorm

Limited free trial of Meteonorm’s web service containing 8,325 weather stations, five geostationary satellites. Interpolation models deliver global data. Link to provider source.

 

SolarGIS

Limited free trial of monthly average solar resource data from SolarGIS fed through a synthetic weather generator. Link to provider source.

 

NASA-SSE*

 Freely available monthly data from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center Surface meteorological and Solar Energy (SSE) web portal supported by the NASA LaRC POWER Project fed through a synthetic hourly weather generator. Link to provider source.

Weather Vendor API Access Guide

In order to enable truly seamless end-to-end utility-scale PV modeling, PlantPredict allows its users to access weather data from 3rd-party weather vendors.

Below are links to our weather vendor partners. Users can purchase a license and integrate it directly into PlantPredict, so that you and your colleagues can access high-quality 3rd-party weather data without leaving the PlantPredict web page. We currently offer the below two options, but are actively working with more weather vendors around the world to provide a thorough catalog of weather data for our users.

When you speak with the vendor, remember to mention that you intend to use your API key in PlantPredict.

Step 1: Navigate to Account Manager (you must be Account Admin for your company to view this page)

 

Step 2: Navigate to Default Settings

 

Step 3: Navigate to Weather Vendors

 

 

Step 4: Input Weather Vendor API Key(s)

 

Step 5: Save Default Settings

 

Inverter Library

The inverter library displays all available inverter files. An inverter file can be added by selecting Create Inverter.

Once selected, a new screen is presented prompting the input of key parameters, efficiency, temperature & elevation derate information for an inverter. Once all parameters of an inverter are defined, save the file to complete the inverter creation process.

Module Library

The module library displays all available module files. To add a module file, select Create Module, which displays a module data screen.

Here, all module details are entered; physical & nameplate, 1-diode characteristics and advanced considerations. Once all of the module data is provided, save the file to complete the module creation process.

Module Defined Shading

Shading profiles can be defined on the prediction level, but each module file has a default shading profile defined within it. This profile is defaulted based on cell technology.

c-Si variant = Fractional 100%

CdTe = Linear

CIGS = Linear

Each of these options can be selected from the drop down in the “Shading” tab, in addition to other shading options. For detailed instruction on how each works, see the Models and Algorithms page.

Library Status Labels

  This read/write state is visible only to the user who created it, Administrators and Managers of the company.

 
  This read/write state is visible to all users within the same company for collaboration purposes.

 
  This commonly used read-only state is intended to indicate that a component is ready for prime-time use in predictions within a company.

 
  This read-only state is intended to indicate that a component is no longer available for use in future power plant predictions but is still usable in predictions that have previously been built.

 
  This read-only status is used to share components across all companies using the PlantPredict platform. Only PlantPredict administrators have permissions to promote components Globally.

Exporting and Importing

PlantPredict gives users the ability to both export and import files from the PlantPredict module, inverter, weather, and project libraries. Both processes are covered here.

Exporting

Files may be exported from the PlantPredict library – projects and predictions export as .ppp files, modules as .ppm files, inverters as .ppi files, and weather files as .xlsx files.

Exported weather files can be edited as an .xlsx file before being re-imported. Module, inverter, and project files can be edited in a text editor like Notepad or once re-imported back into PlantPredict.

 

Importing

Files may be imported to the PlantPredict library – imported projects and predictions must .ppp files, modules must be .ppm files, inverters must be .ppi files, and weather files must be .xlsx files.

 

Importing Files from PVSyst

Module and inverter files can be imported into PlantPredict from PVSyst, making it easy to transfer assets and projects.

Module

  1. Using PVSyst, open up the desired module. Click on, “Copy to Clipboard”.

 

2. Log into PlantPredict. Enter the module library. Click on “Import Module”. In the field under “PVsyst Clipboard Pasate Method”, right click and select “paste” or click the mouse in the field and press ctrl+v.

 

3. Fill in any fields that were not automatically filled in (most should be). Two fields that are oftentimes not filled in are “Saturation Current At STC” and “Linear Temp. Dependence of Gamma”.

 

Both of these fields can be found in the .pan file in PVsyst. The “Saturation Current At STC” can be found on tab Model Parameters -> Rshunt Rserie -> “Diode Satur. Current IoRef”. In the example below it is 0.021nA and would be input as 0.021e-9.

 

The “Linear Temp Dependence of Gamma” can be found on tab Model Parameters -> Temper. Coeff. -> “Gamma temp. coeff”. To input this value into PlantPredict, you first need divide it by the Diode Ideality Factor (or as PVsyst calls it, the Diode quality factor). This value can be found on same tab as the “Saturation Current At STC” above.

 

In this example, the Linear Temp Dependence of Gamma is -0.055/0.97 = -0.056701.

 

Inverter

Importing an inverter .ond file from PVsyst is a similar process to importing a module file above.

  1. Open the desired file in PVsyst. Click “Copy to clipboard”
  2. In PlantPredict, navigate to the inverter library. Click “Import” in the top right. Paste the copied material in the field titled “PVsyst Clipboard Paste Method”.
  3. All fields should be filled in – verify all information is correct and continue with import.