Solargis focuses on solar plant reliability with Evaluate 2.0 update

Solar project evaluation for utility-scale power plants has grown increasingly complex due to evolving financial, technological, and climate risks. The result is many larger scale solar assets that underperform benchmarks and drown in O&M tasks. With Evaluate 2.0, Solargis focused on solving that complexity, and overcoming those issues, with as much data as possible.
“Relying on traditional, industry-standard methodologies is holding the industry back,” said Marcel Suri, CEO of Solargis. “There is a growing mismatch between the high-quality solar data now available and the capabilities of current software to process it. While simple empirical models and low-resolution data were sufficient in the past, new technologies such as bifacial modules, intelligent trackers, and battery storage demand more sophisticated tools to ensure reliable results.”
Solargis Evaluate 2.0 consolidates functionalities of multiple tools into a unified, cloud-based platform. It also integrates high-resolution solar and meteorological data, a 3D PV power plant designer, a PV components catalog, reliable energy yield simulations and analytical reporting.
Accounting for extreme weather
The growing frequency of extreme weather events adds pressure on the PV industry to design power plants that can adapt to weather variability. Solargis Evaluate 2.0 uses 15-minute Time Series data spanning 30 years, capturing both typical and extreme weather scenarios with unmatched accuracy in PV simulations.
Unlike hourly TMY, which provides 8,760 (24 x 365) data values, Evaluate 2.0 is capable of simulating 30 years in 15-minute intervals, resulting in 1,051,200 (30 x 8,760 x 4) data values per parameter—120 times the granularity of the current standard. This high-resolution approach empowers developers to optimize PV designs for long-term resilience against extreme weather events.
Boosting bifacial systems
Evaluate 2.0 incorporates advanced ray tracing technology and an anisotropic sky model, providing a more realistic representation of reflected radiation. Traditional methods, such as the simplified view factor model based on the isotropic sky model, fail to capture the complexities of bifacial module performance, often leading to inaccurate predictions.
Using ray tracing technology, as well as Solargis’ proprietary ground albedo data, Evaluate 2.0 delivers more accurate and reliable PV performance simulations, ensuring that bifacial systems meet performance expectations and financial targets.
More reliable PV component data
Reliability is a frequent topic in Solar Builder. Solargis Evaluate 2.0 introduces a “rigorously validated” PV Component Catalog, a web platform of modules, inverters, and other PV components. This ensures all data is reliable and up to date, addressing longstanding issues with inconsistent and unverified component specifications.
Inconsistent component specifications and a lack of standardization often leads to flawed designs and overly optimistic predictions, misleading developers and investors. Evaluate 2.0 mitigates these risks by integrating the company’s own PV components verified through advanced models, algorithms, data, and expert validation, enabling PV developers to design solar power plants with confidence.