Solar panel layout tools are software applications that help you plan and design your solar energy system. They can help you optimize your system’s performance, estimate your energy savings, and create attractive proposals for your customers.
In this article, we will introduce you to 8 of the best free online solar panel layout tools that you can use for your residential or commercial projects.
1. SolarEdge Designer
SolarEdge Designer is a web-based tool that allows you to plan, build and validate your SolarEdge residential and commercial systems from inception to installation.
It features a clean, interactive, graphical interface that supports satellite or custom site imagery, automatic stringing and design validation, multiple obstacle detection, and bulk power optimizer barcode mapping.
You can also leverage detailed financial analysis capabilities to accurately forecast system owners’ electricity bill savings and ROI, and impress your customers with a visually attractive 3D simulation of their site.
SolarEdge Designer is free to use and integrates seamlessly with the SolarEdge Monitoring Platform.
2. PVGIS Estimation Utility
PVGIS Estimation Utility is a great way to understand a proposed solar PV system’s relationship with the sun based on its location.
It allows you to enter the location, orientation, tilt, and size of your system, and then calculates the expected monthly and annual energy output, as well as the optimal tilt angle for each month.
You can also view the solar radiation map and sun path diagram for your location, and download the results as a PDF report.
3. SMA Sunny Design
SMA Sunny Design is a web-based tool that helps you design your solar PV system with SMA inverters and components.
It allows you to enter the location, load profile, module type, inverter model, battery size, and backup options of your system and then provides you with a detailed system overview, including the energy balance, CO2 savings, performance ratio, payback period, and net present value.
You can also compare different system configurations and export the results as a PDF report.
4. Google Sketchup
Google Sketchup is a fantastic free design and drawing tool that enables you to create very accurate 3D models and drawings.
You can use it to design your solar PV system by importing satellite images of your site, drawing the roof outline, placing the modules and other components, and adding shadows and textures.
You can also use plugins like Skelion or PVcase to automate some of the tasks and generate more realistic simulations.
5. Google Earth
Google Earth is another free tool that you can use to design your solar PV system. It allows you to view high-resolution satellite images of your site, measure distances, and areas, draw polygons and paths, and add placemarks and annotations.
You can also use plugins like SolarGIS iMaps or Project Sunroof to estimate the solar potential of your roof, based on factors like roof orientation, tilt angle, shading, and weather data.
6. REopt Lite
REopt Lite is a web-based tool developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that helps users optimize the design and operation of grid-connected hybrid PV systems with battery storage.
It can also perform sensitivity analysis and evaluate the economic feasibility of different system configurations.
7. SISIFO
SISIFO is an online design tool created by the Solar Energy Institute of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid that allows users to simulate the performance and energy output of on-grid PV systems and irrigation systems powered by PV panels.
It can also estimate the environmental impact and water savings of these systems.
8. Global Solar Atlas
The Global Solar Atlas is a comprehensive online resource that provides solar and wind resource data for any location in the world. It is a project funded by the World Bank and supported by various partners.
It can be used for preliminary assessment of system potential and site selection.
10. PV*SOL online
PVSOL online is a web version of the popular PVSOL software developed by Valentin Software. It is a user-friendly tool that helps users design and simulate PV systems with various modules, inverters, and mounting options.
It can also generate graphical reports and charts.
