PV*SOL is a desktop application used on both rooftop and ground-mount projects, known for its 3D shading modelling and well established in Europe. SolarSimPro runs in the browser and adds cost, feasibility and CAD output after those same steps. So the question is usually this: does your work end with the design, or with the quotation?
PV*SOL is installed on a machine. SolarSimPro runs in the browser: a team reaches the same project from different computers and there are no updates to distribute.
Both cover layout, obstacles and near-shading analysis. SolarSimPro computes shading by ray tracing and feeds the loss straight into the yield.
The bill of materials is derived from the layout and unit prices build a line-by-line summary; payback, NPV and IRR come from the same model.
The setting-out plan is delivered as DXF, coordinate lists as CSV and the 3D model as KMZ; the file that reaches the site team comes from the same model as the design.
For work that demands depth in design and simulation, desktop tools are well established and strong; if detailed modelling is what you need, staying with your current tool is reasonable.
But if your work ends with a quotation to the client, the chain gets longer: bill of materials, cost, feasibility, report and CAD file. When those steps are spread across separate tools, every hand-off costs time and makes it easy to forget the update when the design changes.
A new team member clicks a link and starts; licence keys, version drift and update distribution all disappear.
Because the project lives in the cloud, a roof inspected on site and the calculation at the office meet in the same file, with no files to move.
It is enough to rebuild a finished project on the same assumptions and put the yield and the deliverables side by side.
If you want design, shading, yield, cost, feasibility and CAD output in a single workflow, yes. If your need is highly detailed simulation modelling, the desktop tools specialised in that field are well established; the two can also be used together.
Near shading is computed by ray tracing: the sun's hourly position across the year is used, each obstacle's shadow is projected onto the module plane, and the loss is resolved per module.
No. A current browser is enough; there is no installation, licence key or dongle.
Yes. Payback, net present value and internal rate of return are calculated from the consumption profile, tariff and net metering, and exported as a client-ready report.
Rebuild a site and follow the steps from yield to quotation in one workflow. Runs in the browser.