Prospect PV simulator outputs

In this document

This document introduces the outputs produced by the Prospect PV simulator in Solargis Prospect. It describes what results are available, how they are organized, and the temporal resolutions at which data is provided.

Overview

The primary output of the Prospect PV simulation is the power output (PVOUT) of the PV system — expressed as specific PVOUT [kWh/kWp] normalized to the installed capacity, total PVOUT [kWh], and performance ratio (PR [%]). These figures are the culminating result of the full simulation chain: every stage from simulation inputs through optical simulation, electrical simulation, and post-processing contributes to this final figure.

The Prospect simulator goes beyond a single annual yield number. At every stage of the simulation chain, intermediate irradiance and power values are calculated and retained, giving you a complete stage-by-stage loss breakdown from theoretical GTI through to the final PVOUT after post-processing losses. This transparency allows you to understand where energy is lost across the full conversion chain and supports comparison of different system configurations during early-stage site screening.

Outputs are available at annual, monthly, and monthly-hourly resolution.

Note: Because the Prospect simulator operates on a statistically representative dataset rather than a full historical time series, the reported outputs represent a long-term average energy yield estimate at p50 confidence. For time-series-based yield assessments with full uncertainty quantification, use Solargis Evaluate with the Argus PV simulator.

Simulation output parameters

The simulation tracks energy at each cumulative loss stage, from theoretical GTI with no losses through to final PVOUT after all post-processing. Each stage carries all losses from all preceding stages, enabling a detailed loss analysis.

The output also includes the irradiance and meteorological inputs (GHI, DNI, TEMP) as aggregated annual and monthly values, allowing you to cross-reference the simulated yield against the solar resource at the site.

Loss breakdown

The simulation reports a stage-by-stage loss breakdown calculated from adjacent values in the energy stages chain. Each loss is expressed as a percentage relative to the preceding stage.

Output temporal resolution

The Prospect simulator provides outputs at three temporal resolutions.

Annual totals are sums of all monthly values across the year. Air temperature is an exception: it is reported as an average rather than a sum.
Monthly totals are sums of the monthly-hourly values multiplied by the number of days in each month (28 days for February). Air temperature is reported as an average.
Monthly-hourly values are hourly averages for one representative day in each month of the year, calculated from the weighted average of the 15-minute per-percentile simulation results. These are provided as 12 arrays of 24 values each. Monthly-hourly output is available for GHI, DNI, DIF, GTI_theoretical, GTI, TEMP, PVOUT_specific, PR, and PVOUT_total.

Note: Monthly and annual PVOUT values are sums, not averages. PVOUT_specific is normalized to installed capacity [kWh/kWp] and PVOUT_total is the absolute energy yield [kWh].

Outputs in Solargis Prospect

Simulation results are displayed directly within Solargis Prospect as summary statistics, monthly charts, and an energy conversion loss breakdown. You can compare results across multiple locations and system configurations to identify the most promising sites for further development.

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