In this document
This document describes the post-processing stage of the Prospect PV simulator. It explains how system-level losses not captured in the electrical simulation are applied to produce the final energy yield estimate.
Overview
Post-processing is the final stage of the Prospect PV simulation chain, applied after the electrical simulation has produced AC power output at the inverter terminals. While the electrical simulation accounts for all physical losses within the PV system components, post-processing addresses two system-level factors that affect the energy actually delivered over time: weather-related losses from snow coverage and reductions in energy delivery due to planned or unplanned system downtime.
These factors are not modeled within the per-time-step electrical calculation. Instead, they are applied as percentage reductions to the simulated AC output to arrive at the final PVOUT estimate reported in Solargis Prospect.
Note: Unlike the Argus PV simulator in Solargis Evaluate, the Prospect simulator does not include a long-term degradation model. The simulation produces a steady-state energy yield estimate representing the system at its initial performance level.
Processes included in this stage
The following processes are applied during post-processing:
Snow losses
Technical availability losses
Post-processing
Snow losses
Snow coverage of PV modules reduces energy output by blocking solar radiation from reaching the module surface. The Prospect simulator accounts for this through a configurable snow loss parameter expressed as a percentage of AC output. The loss is applied uniformly across all months.
Snow losses are location-specific and can be significant at high-latitude or high-elevation sites. The default value is 0%, which is appropriate for sites where snow is not a relevant factor. For sites with seasonal snow coverage, this value should be set based on site-specific assessment.
For a detailed description of snow loss modeling methodology, see Snow loss model.
Tip: Solargis Prospect map layers include a snow loss map that provides a location-specific estimate you can use as a starting point for setting this parameter.
Technical availability losses
Technical availability losses quantify the reduction in energy yield due to system downtime from planned maintenance and unplanned equipment failures. These losses reduce the effective operating hours of the system and are applied as a percentage reduction to the AC output after snow losses.
Further reading
"Snow loss model": Solargis
"System unavailability losses and long-term degradation": Solargis