Evaluate subscription and SGU for customers

In this document

You will learn how the Solargis subscriptions work, what Solargis units (SGU) are and how they are spent, why subscription continuity matters, and what the limited Evaluate access means.

Solargis Evaluate subscription

If you want to access the Evaluate application, you must purchase a subscription. By buying a subscription, you will gain access to Evaluate, get Solargis units (SGU) that you can use to activate projects with the selected datasets, create a design of photovoltaic (PV) power plants, run simulations, and get your PV energy yield data to evaluate the project’s feasibility.

Subscription tiers

You can have only one subscription at a time and we currently offer only one subscription tier. You can buy it by contacting our sales team. .

Our subscription tier includes pricing plans that offer different amounts of SGU and discounts, with higher discounts for higher purchase value. Our sales team will provide you with more information about the price plans and will help you purchase the subscription. You can upgrade your subscription plan at any time. Information about your subscription is in your account admin section.

Downgrading your subscription plan is available only upon subscription renewal. In this case, your SGU will NOT be transferred to the new subscription.

Solargis units

The Solargis units (SGU), can be purchased within the Solargis Evaluate subscription. Several subscription price plans are available and additional SGU can be purchased anytime during your subscription. The price of SGU depends on the selected subscription plan.

SGU can be used to:

  • Activate a project, access the solar, meteorological, and environmental data, and access to analysis, data and report sections.

  • Create a project design, access the PV components catalog, and conduct PV simulations.

  • Buy add-on data.

The costs for these services in SGU vary depending on the evaluation type you select when activating your project.

The cost of PV system package is priced per Megawatt (MW) and depends on the size of a PV system. The unit price per MW decreases as the size of the system increases.

Data and services available for Early evaluation stage

Service

Price in SGU

Included features

One project activation

200

Data available: TMY P50 data

Solar climate and environmental data analysis

Solargis Evaluate solar and climate technical note

Data export

PV system package per MW

20

Energy system designer, PV simulator

Multiple energy systems, access to PV components catalog, PV data analysis

Solargis Evaluate PV technical notes

Data export

Data and services available for Full evaluation stage

Service

Price in SGU

Included features

One project activation

600

Data available: Time series, TMY P50 and any TMY Pxx data

GHI and DNI data uncertainty

Solar climate and environmental data analysis

Data export, Solar and climate report and technical note

PV system package per MW

60

Energy system designer, PV simulator

Multiple energy systems, access to PV components catalog, PV data analysis

Solargis Evaluate PV technical notes and PV reports, Data exports

Add-on data available for Solargis units (SGU) in Full evaluation stage

Service

Price in SGU

Included features

TMY P75, TMY P90, TMY P95, TMY P99, and TMY Pxx data

Included in the price of Full evaluation

TMY data generated for different probabilities of exceedance scenarios. Delivery of data is accompanied with yearly GHI and DNI model data uncertainty information. Data accessible on request.

1-minute time series and TMY

1800

Full archive of 1-minute time series data and TMY generated by the Solargis model from data originally available in the standard 15-minute time resolution. The meteorological data is interpolated. The TMY 1-minute data set is compatible with TMY data generated from time series in 15-minute time resolution.

Historical forecast time series

1800

Historical forecast (Hindcast) data covering the past 2 full calendar years, available for forecast horizons H+0 to H+3 and D+0 to D+3. Customer can specify the issue time of the forecast, which will be the same for all delivered data

Ground albedo time series data

1800

Albedo daily time series data generated by a model combining the MODIS-satellite and Solargis model data inputs. The time series represent a time range from February 2000 to the last calendar month

Additional consultancy services

Additional consultancy services can be purchased for a project on request:

  • Solar resource and meteorological model data with enhanced accuracy

  • Site adaptation of Solargis time series data based on ground measurements

  • Ground surface albedo time series

  • Site adaptation of ground surface albedo time series

  • Enhanced photovoltaic yield assessment

  • Custom

Reduction in SGU price for PV system packages, based on the power plant size in MW:

Installed capacity in MW

1

5

10

25

50

100

250

500

Early stage (SGU)

0

100

200

460

840

1,520

3,320

5,920

Full evaluation TMY/TS (SGU)

1/60

300

600

1,380

2,520

4,560

9,960

17,760

The simulation cost model

You always pay for the first simulation of the energy system with the highest installed capacity per project. Each starting MW of installed capacity counts. Therefore, the 4.1 MW project is considered as 5 MW in the MW price calculation. If you create a second, smaller energy system and simulate it, there will be no extra cost. When you simulate an energy system with a larger installed capacity compared to the largest in the project so far, you will pay the difference only. This applies according to the selected project evaluation stage (Early stage or Full evaluation).

Example:

  1. Activate a project with Early stage (200 SGU).

  2. Create and simulate a 50 MW energy system (840 SGU).

  3. Create and simulate a new 30 MW energy system (No cost; previously simulated 50 MW system was larger and paid for).

  4. Upgrade to Full evaluation (400 SGU). 200 SGU was discounted since it was already paid in the Early stage. Time series and TMY Pxx can be selected from now on in PV simulation.

  5. Create and simulate a new 50 MW energy system (2,520 SGU, then we deduct the previous simulation price: 2,520 - 840 = 1680 SGU).

  6. Create and simulate a new 100 MW energy system (4560 SGU. Pay the difference only: 4560 - 2520 = 2040 SGU).

  7. Create and simulate a new 50 MW energy system (No cost; a previously simulated 100 MW system was larger and paid for).

You are always informed upfront about steps where SGU are deducted, and this information is logged in the Evaluate usage history. All expenses can be monitored by the company administrator(s).

The example illustrates that you essentially pay for the highest MW simulation per project regardless of the number of energy systems, always discounting the previously paid simulation, and the price per MW is based on your currently activated evaluation. Simulation of 1MWp energy system is free of charge.

Evaluate access

After purchasing the subscription, you can log in to your Solargis account and access the Evaluate application. The Evaluate access status in your account administration section will be set to Full access and you can start working on your projects.

Continuity of service

The continuity of service (Evaluate application access) directly depends on the continuity of your subscription periods. It determines the access to your projects, SGU, and paid features and is indicated by the access status in your account administration section. The standard subscription period is 12 months.

The following table summarizes the key attributes of each status:

Access status

Description

Full access

  • You have full access to:

    • All Evaluate features.

    • Energy system designer.

    • Your remaining SGU credits.

  • You can activate projects, create designs, and run simulations (subject to your SGU balance).

Limited

  • You have full access to:

    • All Evaluate features apart from simulations.

    • Energy system designer.

    • View your existing projects.

    • Download existing reports and exports.

  • You can not:

    • Access and use your SGU.

    • Activate new projects or run simulations.

    • Create new reports and exports.

Suspended

  • You can not use the Evaluate application or any of its features.

  • Your access to the application is blocked.

  • You will lose all your unspent SGU.

  • You may lose all your previous project data.

The limited access to our application while your subscription period is pending renewal is offered by us as a gesture of goodwill. The duration of this access is 15 days and will be changed to suspended status afterwards. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to renew your subscription promptly.

Access status mechanism explained

Specific relations exist between Evaluate access status, paid Evaluate features, and SGU availability, which depend on the continuity of your subscription periods.

Continuous subscription renewal

Continuous subscription renewal means that a subscription remains active without any interruptions or unpaid gaps between paid periods, ensuring that the service is consistently available to you as long as you maintain your payment schedule.

There are two ways you can achieve it in our subscription model.

  1. The subscription is paid on time/before the end of the previous subscription period.

  1. The subscription is paid back, covering the gap between the previous subscription period's end and the date of payment, creating a continuous subscription renewal.

The key advantage of continuous subscription renewal is that your previously unspent/frozen SGU will be transferred to your new subscription. You will not lose them once you renew your subscription.

Interrupted subscription renewals with gaps or limited access periods

Interrupted renewal periods refer to a situation where a subscription experiences gaps in payment, resulting in periods during which the service is not available or limited.

The following scenarios are considered to be interrupted in terms of service payments.

  1. The previous status of your Evaluare access was limited when your new subscription period started. This happens when the new paid period does not cover back the limited access period and begins, for example, from the date of purchase instead.

  1. The previous status of your Evaluare access was suspended when your new subscription period started. This also happens when the new paid period does not cover back the gap and begins from the date of purchase instead, or the limited period was too long, and the account has been suspended.

No SGU will be transferred from the previous period. You will also loose all your previous project data. The status of your account will be identical to the new account after the new subscription period purchase.