Constraints, site properties, and terrain

The site’s specifications

You can access the information about your site using the left navbar. The section offers Site properties, Terrain, Constraints, and Imports categories.

If you want to explore the file import options, read the dedicated Imports guide.

Site properties

The top of the Site properties section displays your site’s basic information, such as GPS coordinates, slope, azimuth, and location’s altitude. There is also an “Add array” button that allows you to add an array to the reference point if it has not already been added.

• The General section lets you select the segment type. Currently, only the ground segment type is supported.

• The Horizon section lets you examine and change the default horizon, which has been calculated for the site’s reference point.

• The terrain approximation method is set to adaptive by default, showing the slope, azimuth, and altitude from the map data. To change these values, switch to Planar surface.

Changing terrain approximation method

At Solargis, we have introduced an enhanced terrain approximation to address common issues with the Planar surface method—such as abrupt “cliffs” at segment boundaries and unrealistic shading. With this new terrain approximation method, you get:

• Smoother transitions between leveled and natural terrain.

• More accurate simulation results and visuals.

• Improved mesh quality without asymmetric triangles.

• No change to your existing projects unless you update the settings.

Key attributes and limitations

How to set the Planar surface approximation method

1. While in the Energy system designer, navigate to the Site properties.

2. In the Terrain approximation section, switch to the Planar surface option.

3. Adjust slope, slope azimuth, and altitude as required and select preferred terrain blending method:

   • Natural: Blends the planar surface smoothly with the actual terrain for a realistic transition at site boundaries.

   • No extra points: Uses only the defined planar surface without adding additional points, maintaining a simplified terrain model.

Terrain properties

The site’s terrain properties category allows you to do the following:

• Choose the preferred elevation model and display the wireframe on the map. Alternatively, you can toggle the wireframe on/off using the View menu at the top of the 3D map. You can import your own terrain as a GeoTIFF file and the process is described in the Evaluate project imports page.

• Change the slope exceedance visualization.

• Examine and edit the albedo data. The albedo data values are identical to the Solargis Prospect Pro values.

Fixed-mount PV systems benefit from a terrain-following feature, where arrays are placed intelligently on the uneven ground, respecting the clearance and orientation of the modules.

Terrain-following design limitations:

• No variable row spacing - only regular row spacing is supported.

• Backtracking only available for planar surface segments.

Changing the elevation model

Note: The default elevation model is Copernicus DSM, and the wireframe is turned off.

Changing the elevation model in the Energy system designer allows you to simulate your project on the real terrain profile instead of a default or simplified surface. This helps you achieve more accurate shading analysis, optimize the layout for uneven ground, and improve the precision of energy yield estimates.

To change the elevation model:

1. While inside the Energy system designer, select “Terrain” from the main menu.

2. Click “Change” in the General section.

3. In the pop-up, switch to the “Imported terrain data” tab.

4. Select the preferred terrain elevation model and click “Apply”.

The selected elevation model will be applied to the 3D scene. The example image shows how switching to a custom terrain profile affects the shading of the surrounding forest on the installation site.

Slope exceedance visualization

You can use slope exceedance visualizations to help you identify areas with big slopes that would not be suitable for installations. To set the exceedance threshold, switch to “Single threshold” and enter the required angle. The map will automatically display areas exceeding your slope angle threshold.

Tip: You can turn this feature on/off by pressing “U” on the keyboard.

Terrain colision highlight

The Terrain collision highlight is a real-time validation that identifies physical overlaps between PV tables, terrain, and inverter units, it provides immediate visual feedback directly after every design changes.

The constraints section includes all restricted areas, restricted lines, and line objects present in the design. These represent areas to be avoided by the installation such as rock formations, swamps, maintenance paths, or shading objects, respectively. Constraints are added using the interactive 3D map or by importing a KML file.

Tip: For every constraint you can decide whether inverters should be installed there or not. This can be useful when some areas, like swamps, cannot have an electrical inverter while others, like maintenance routes, can.

Constraint options

Every constraint can be edited through its options menu. Hover over the constraint with the mouse, and the three-dots will show. Click it to open the options menu. Every option has its own keyboard shortcut (indicated in the menu) to speed up the editing process.

• Rename: Will rename the constraint.

• Show/hide: Toggle the constraint outline visibility on/off.

• Edit vertices: Will initiate the vertice-editing process. You can add, delete, or drag anchor points. Press Enter to confirm changes.

• Delete: Will delete the object.

Additionally, you can also change every constraint’s properties. The parameters differ based on their type and are located in the properties panel to the right.