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.
Desktop tools go deep in design and simulation; that is only the first half of the chain.
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.
The table below shows where and how the same job gets done in each tool.
| Step | In PV*SOL | In SolarSimPro |
|---|---|---|
| Setup and access | Installed on the computer. | Opens in the browser; no installation, licence key or hardware dongle. |
| Defining the site | Site and building geometry are built in the design environment. | Draw the roof outline, or pull the parcel in by cadastral query. |
| Terrain data | Terrain data is supplied as a design input. | Slope, aspect and contours are derived from the site itself. |
| Module layout | Rooftop and ground-mount layout, obstacles included. | Generated automatically from obstacles, slope and setbacks; editable by hand. |
| Near shading | Known for its 3D shading modelling. | Ray-traced near shading with an hourly loss map. |
| Yield calculation | Hourly yield simulation. | 8,760-hour simulation; PVGIS-SARAH3 irradiance data, PR and P50/P90. |
| Bill of materials | This step is handled separately. | Derived from the layout and the DC capacity. |
| Cost and feasibility | This step is handled separately. | Unit-price database, cash flow, payback, NPV, IRR and net metering from one model. |
| Deliverables | Design and simulation report. | Setting-out DXF, coordinate list CSV, KMZ and a client-ready report. |
The lower half of the table is what the proposal is made of: materials, cost, feasibility and CAD output. In SolarSimPro these follow directly from the layout — change the module count and all four are recalculated, with nothing carried across by hand.
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.
The job is not over when the design and the shading model are. The proposal the client sees needs a bill of materials, line-by-line cost, feasibility and a CAD file; when those live in separate tools, every handover costs time.
The real cost appears in the revision. Change the module and the layout is rebuilt and the whole chain is reworked. In SolarSimPro, change the module count and materials, cost, yield and payback are computed together; the setting-out plan and the report are regenerated from the same model.
Yes. Design, ray-traced shading, the 8,760-hour yield calculation, bill of materials, cost, feasibility and the setting-out DXF all come out of one workflow. The steps you run separately after the design are, here, part of the same model.
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.
Near shading is ray-traced: neighbouring rows, roof obstacles and surrounding volumes are evaluated hour by hour, producing an hourly loss map. The result feeds directly into the yield simulation rather than being applied as a separate correction factor.
Yes. The bill of materials is derived from the layout and priced line by line with your own unit prices; enter consumption, tariff and net metering and payback, NPV and IRR come from the same model. Change the layout and all of it updates together.
To rebuild a finished project you only need to redefine the site. Align the loss terms, tilt and tariff values with your existing study and you can put the yield and the delivery files side by side.
Rebuild a site and follow the steps from yield to quotation in one workflow. Runs in the browser.