In this document
We will introduce add-ons and services you can activate/purchase for Full evaluation projects. Additionally, you will learn how to select the data source for your project and how to update it when update is available.
Prerequisites
An active Solargis Prospect account.
Admin rights, for editing purposes.
A project created within Evaluate.
Evaluate Add-ons
The Solargis application enhances solar resource assessment capabilities through specialized add-ons, available exclusively for Full evaluation projects. These add-ons come in the form of additional datasets and expert services for comprehensive project analysis.
You can access and manage the add-ons and services in the main menu under Project/Project data in the Solargis data tab. The Project data section offers access to the following datasets to uprade your project data source:
High temporal resolution data (1-minute)
Important: Some of the datasets may take time to activate as they are manually processed by our team of experts.
Uncertainty data
Solar irradiance uncertainty estimates data enable robust validation of resource assessment and performance forecasting. This includes:
Detailed irradiance variability metrics
Enhanced accuracy in energy yield predictions
Improved risk assessment for project financing
Once the addon has been activated, the data will be available in the Uncertainty category under the Analysis section. Clicking the charts icon will redirect you to the page.
Important: If you have multiple data sources in your projects and want to see uncertainty for each of them, you will need to request uncertainty separately for each of them. The activation is not automatic and always applies to the relevant data source only.
Note: This data is included in Full evaluation at no additional cost.
TMY Pxx data
The TMY datasets with different probability of exceedance levels provide varying confidence intervals for energy yield predictions:
TMY P99: Extremely conservative estimate suitable for worst-case scenario planning.
TMY P95: Very conservative estimate for risk-averse financial modeling.
TMY P90: Conservative estimate commonly used for bank financing, expected to be exceeded 90% of the time.
TMY P75: Moderately conservative estimate for balanced risk assessment.
TMY P10: Optimistic scenario useful for analyzing maximum potential performance.
Clicking the download icon of the respective Pxx data (activated only) will redirect you to the downloads section, where you can initiate the data download.
Note: This data is included in Full evaluation at no additional cost.
High temporal resolution data
1-minute resolution dataset provides critical insights for advanced system design and operation:
More accurate prediction of power output fluctuations
Better assessment of inverter clipping losses
Improved grid integration planning
Enhanced analysis of cloud edge effects
More precise sizing of energy storage systems
This high-resolution dataset is particularly valuable for utility-scale projects where accurate performance modeling and grid compliance are essential. It is generated automatically in the background and may take approximately 15 minutes depending on the location.
Note: This data is available for Full evaluation projects only and is not included in the project activation price. You can purchase it at an additional cost.
Site adaptation of Solargis Model
This lets you request data source adapted to site-specific conditions for better accuracy. Using your on-site ground measurements (minimum 12 months), we recalibrate our solar and meteorological models to your specific project location — reducing data bias and uncertainty for more reliable energy assessments.
What's included:
Full quality control and metadata harmonization of your measurements
Site-adapted time series and TMY P50 data integrated directly into your Evaluate project
Ability to run energy simulations, generate reports, export outputs, and derive additional TMY Pxx percentiles — all based on higher-confidence, location-tuned data
Note: This service is quoted individually based on project complexity, measurement quality, and completeness of provided documentation. Contact your account manager for a personalized quote and a list of required inputs.
Click the “Request now” button.
Read the on-screen disclaimer and submit the request.
Activating add-on data
You can activate all available datasets on the Project data page:
Click the “Activate” link next to the add-on you want to activate.
Active add-ons are marked as “Active”.
Important: Please be aware that additional add-on data delivery might take up to 24hrs to show on your account.
If you are activating paid datdaset, e.g., high temporal resolution data (1-minute data), the cost will be displayed in the confirmation prompt. Confirm that you wish to spend SGU for the add-on activation. Data will be delivered to your project automatically after processing.
Note: We will send a confirmation notification to your email once you request activation of any dataset.
Add-on services
Evaluate application add-on services enhance project assessment capabilities by introducing specialized services and expanded datasets. They were created to provide deeper insights through higher resolution data processing, supplementary albedo measurements, or customized consulting services. The following add-ons are available:
Ground surface albedo Time Series for higher accuracy PV simulation input.
Bankable site adaptation of ground surface albedo Time Series.
Consultancy support for complex photovoltaic projects.
Custom service request
You can request add-on services using the three-dot menu while on the Full evaluation project page:
Open the projects menu.
Select “Request service” to access add-on services and choose the service you want to request in the next prompt.
Available add-on services
Ground surface albedo Time Series for higher accuracy PV simulation input
This service delivers daily time-resolution ground surface albedo (ALB) data Time Series, derived from models that combine MODIS-satellite data products with Solargis solar radiation Time Series. The ALB data product validation relies on data from locations with similar geographic conditions.
Added value: Together with the site-specific Time Series data, you will receive an expert report containing accurate long-term averaged values for bifacial PV simulation. The report identifies ALB geographic and temporal variability in the project area, including analysis of surface variability, seasonality, and short-term variations caused by snow, rain, and other geographical and human-induced effects.
Note: Higher accuracy bifacial PV simulation results reduce performance risks. This service does not require ground measurements.
Bankable site adaptation of ground surface albedo Time Series
This service delivers high-accuracy daily Time Series of ground surface albedo (ALB) data. The primary ALB data is derived from models combining MODIS-satellite data products with Solargis solar radiation Time Series. Data accuracy is enhanced through site-specific adaptation using on-site solar radiation and albedo measurements.
Added value: You will receive site-specific Time Series data delivered by an expert report containing accurate long-term average values for bifacial PV simulation. The report identifies ALB geographic and temporal variability in the project area and recommends the most suitable ALB data solution for bifacial PV simulation. It includes analysis of surface geographical variability, seasonality, and short-term (daily) variations caused by snow, rain, and other geographical and human-induced effects.
Note: High-accuracy ground surface albedo data are critical for bankable bifacial PV simulation results and reduced risk of PV project underperformance. This service requires on-site ground measurements.
Consultancy support for complex photovoltaic projects
Solargis Evaluate utilizes proprietary PV energy design and PV simulation software. The algorithms for realistic 3D design and ray-tracing PV simulation are enhanced by a verified catalog of PV Components. All simulations are based on Solargis high-resolution data.
We support specific needs in complex project designs and PV performance optimization, aligned with your business model. Our capabilities include novel hybrid (PV-wind-storage) architecture integration and incorporation of on-site drone and land survey data. Using 1-minute Time Series data, we provide high-frequency PV performance analysis, offering insights into PV design details and addressing the power smoothing requirements of grid operators.
Added value: You receive customized PV simulation outputs and expert reports addressing your specific requirements. Our specialized data and software capabilities provide developers and investors with independent project performance evaluation, including comprehensive uncertainty and risk assessment.
Note: This service may require internal tools not currently available in the public version of Solargis Evaluate.
Custom service request
If you have special needs regarding your project or data, submit custom service request and our team of experts will reach out to consult you requirements.
Note: This service will likely incur additional charges based on your requested services.
Data source updates
Solargis data and models are regularly updated to ensure customers always have access to the latest data. Each time you activate a project, you receive the most recent data source. However, if you work on a project over several months, newer data may become available. In such cases, Solargis Evaluate lets you update your project data to include the latest data source in your project.
Important: When you purchase the updated data, you will get a completely new data source, not just the data missing in the previous one. If you want to use any datasets you’ve had activated in the previous data source, you must activate them again in the new data source.
When new data for your project becomes available, you will see it in the Project data section in the Solargis data tab as an optional data update. Cost of the update, along with new data source parameters and a link to release notes, is included in the data update tab. Click the “Update” button to purchase the data update.
Note: The update might take a while depending on the size of the data source. The new data source will be listed on the Project data page once available.
With the new data source, you can:
simulate your energy systems and evaluate their data,
generate reports and data exports,
estimate soiling and snow losses in the energy system designer (PV energy systems only).
Selecting your primary data source
Once you have more than one data source in the project, you can decide which one you want to set as the primary project data source. Primary data source is selected by default in your simulations or in the energy system selector when you access the project Overview or Analysis sections.
To set a data source as primary, open its three-dot menu and select “Set as primary”. Primary data source will have
label next to it for quick reference. This way you can, for example, set your requested site adapted data as your project data source.
Important: If you are using PV energy system, you must simulate it again to update the the project data with the new data source.
Archiving data sources
If you have multiple data sources and do not want all of them available for simulations or reporting, you can use the archiving feature. Archived data sources are hidden from applications and simulation options but remain stored in your project for potential future use.
To archive a data source, open the three-dot menu and select “Archive”. The data source will be added to the archived data sources section on the Project data page. If you with to use the data source again, you can revert the action using the “Unarchive” option. You can not archive the primary data source.
Important: If you have activated uncertainty data for previous data sources and would like to see it for the new data source, you must request it again. Uncertainty estimates must be requested for each data source separately, they do not appear automatically.