Project data analysis

Analyzing your project data

The Prospect application's core feature is its analysis section, where users can thoroughly examine solar resource data for their projects.

This includes viewing monthly statistics, climate, and environmental parameters. You can visualize data such as Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and temperature (TEMP) in charts, and even access hourly statistics for more detailed insights. The PV electricity and performance summary provides valuable insights into the potential output of the configured PV system, its performance metrics, and various loss factors. These results are generated using a proprietary empirical PV simulator, ensuring accurate assessments of solar energy potential.

Categorized analysis section data

The analysis section is clearly categorized for easy navigation:

• Solar and climate: Contains detailed information about solar, climate, and environmental parameters analysis.

• PV electricity: Offers comprehensive insights into specific and theoretical PV output of the energy system.

• PV performance: Provides estimates of energy conversion and system losses.

• Finance: Offers approximate financial analysis based on your input data.

All categories except the finance offer glossary at the bottom of the page for quick reference to the displayed content.

Solar & climate data

This category provides information about the location’s solar and climate data calculated using the Solargis Time Series, divided into sub-sections.

Monthly statistics

Here you can examine yearly averages of various parameters, such as Global horizontal irradiation (GHI), temperature (TEMP), direct normal irradiation (DNI), precipitation (PREC), or ground surface albedo (ALB).

The GHI and TEMP, as the most important parameters, are displayed at the top along with the configuration parameters of your PV energy system.

All parameters are presented in tables, divided into solar, climate, and environmental groups. The tables contain average monthly values per parameter with the total yearly average for each.

Next are the same parameters visualized as charts to quickly spott trends and extremes. You can view each month’s average value by hovering over the chart. You can download each chart into different formats for future reference if required (PNG, SVG, PDF, CSV).

Hourly profiles

The hourly profiles are calculated as an average of all hourly data for each month. The profiles give an indication of the changing patterns of key meteorological parameters during day. The page contains an explanation how to use these charts. Hovering over the chart will display the average hourly value in the given month.

This page also offers hourly values histogram to help you visualize extremes and patterns. You can switch between GHI, DNI, and TEMP parameters to display.

PV electricity data

PV electricity category shows theoretical estimate of solar electricity production by a PV system without considering the long-term aging and performance degradation of PV modules and other system components. All values are simulated using our proprietary Solargis model.

Monthly statistics

The yearly averages of specific and total PVOUT are shown at the top.

The estimates are provided in table and chart formats for better understanding. You can examine GTI, PVOUT specific, PVOUT total, and performance ration (PR) estimates.

Hourly profiles

Hourly PV power production profiles are calculated as an average of all hourly data for each month. The profiles give an indication of daily power production changes and patterns due to weather for the selected configuration of a PV system.

The charts provide visualisations of GTI+TEMP, PVOUT specific, and PVOUT total, and histogram offers different perspective of these values. Hovering over the charts will reveal average values for the given hour.

PV performance estimates

This section provides energy conversion, system losses, and lifetime performance estimates of your PV energy system. All values are simulated using our proprietary Solargis model.

Energy conversion and system losses

The energy conversion estimates in this section do not consider the long-term aging and performance degradation of PV modules and other system components. Long-term average performance ratio (PR) is calculated for a start-up production of a PV system.

The table provides a detailed breakdown of the energy conversion process in your PV system, highlighting the accumulation of losses at each stage. It serves as a valuable tool for comparing different energy system configurations to identify which setup results in the smallest energy losses. This analysis may help you decide how to configure the PV system to minimize losses.

Every loss is calculated from the previous cumulative loss value rather than the initial total power value. As losses accumulate over time, each subsequent loss is discounted from the remaining power output after previous losses have already been accounted for.

The Loss Diagram offers a complimentary visual presentation of the accumulation of losses.

Lifetime performance estimates

This section provides yearly average estimate of solar electricity production of your photovoltaic system. It considers the PV system configuration and also takes into account the decline of system performance due to aging and the performance degradation of PV modules and other components.

The table outlines potential production over the first 25 years, showing expected degradation rate and subsequently declining performance ratio. The table is complimented with PVOUT specific, PVOUT total, and performance ratio charts for better visualisation.