In the following article, we will show you how you can add the mounting surfaces in PV*Sol with just a few clicks using the Airteam Low Poly Model (LPM).
Step 1 - Download & open the PV*SOL file
When creating a project, you have the option of requesting various planning data. Among other things, there are two data formats for PV*SOL: LPM for PV*SOL or PV*SOL.
ℹ️ If you would like to know the difference between the two planning data, here’s a link to another blog post.
Once the LPM file has been delivered, open your project on the Airteam Fusion Platform. Under the Data tab you will find your LPM file for PV-SOL, which you can now download.
After downloading, you can open the file directly in PV-SOL.
Step 2 - Select the sketch tool
Under the "Terrain View" tab, you will find the sketch tool in the 3D Model section.
Step 3 - Draw the mounting surfaces
Use the sketch tool to draw a planar surface on which the solar modules are to be mounted.
Step 4 - Activate the surface
As soon as you have finished drawing the surface, press the right button to deactivate the drawing function. Then press the right mouse button on the drawn surface and select Activate.
PV-SOL shows you the activated mounting surface frontally (see image) so that you can easily place blocking surfaces and the solar modules in the next steps.
Step 5 - Mark blocking areas
If there are blocking areas such as chimneys, windows, etc. on your mounting surface, you can draw them in before planning the solar panels. This way, no PV modules will be placed over them during the actual planning. Under the Additional Objects section, you can now draw blocking areas by clicking on the corner points (e.g. of a window).
6. Place solar modules
The mounting surface and any exclusion zones have been drawn in. Now you can place the solar modules on your roof. Now go to the Module Coverage tab. Under the section Define Reference Module you can create a new module. As soon as you have defined the dimensions of your module, click on Fill Area in the Create Module Array section. A window will appear in which you can enter the distances between the individual modules and the installation type. Now create as many solar modules as possible with a marking movement over the mounting area. If you like the result, click on OK.
Now that you are done, you can go back to the Terrain View.
We hope this article helps you! If you have any further questions, please feel free to send an e-mail to info@airteam.ai or use the chat on our website.