Dedicated sensor inputs

The Sensors sub-tab lets you place dedicated sensor objects in the unit system to measure the irradiance ($W\mathrm{/}{m}^2$) at each timestep. Each dedicated sensor is positioned like a custom object but references a sensor definition rather than a shape from the mesh library.

The solving method used by dedicated sensors is described on the irradiance page.

The results are reported on the Sensors output tab.

When to use dedicated sensors

Dedicated sensors should be used when comparing simulation results with measurements from broadband irradiance detectors, such as pyranometers mounted on a system to measure front-side or rear-side plane-of-array irradiance. Dedicated sensors in SunSolve can be set to any size, so they can be used to determine the difference in irradiance when sampling in a discrete location (i.e. a small sensor added at the end of the row) versus the actual irradiance landing on the module.

By setting a dedicated sensor to match the size of the module and locating it on the back of the module, it can directly record the simulated irradiance on the rear side of the modules. This value, which is based on the full ray tracing of the scene, can be compared to the results reported in programs like PVsyst that use simpler view-factor based models.

Dedicated sensors should not be used when simulating the total absorption of light in a surface. Examples include tracking the annual absorption of UV light on part of the system structure or recording light absorption in the ground for agrivoltaic applications. In those cases, use a full-surface absorber.

Adding dedicated sensors

Use + Add sensor to add a sensor and × Remove all sensors to clear them. For a sensor configured to collect from front and rear facets, the 3D drawing shows the front collecting face in light blue and the rear collecting face in red. A whole-surface sensor appears blue on every face.

Each dedicated sensor has the following properties:

PropertyDescription

Location, The parent reference frame: System - Fixed (stationary),, System - Tracking (rotates with a single-axis tracker),, or Module (relative to each module).

Sensor definition, The sensor to place,, selected by folder and name from the sensor definition library.

Position, Offset from the origin of the parent reference frame along each axis (X/Y/Z).Size, The absolute size of the sensor along each axis.Rotation, Rotation in degrees around each axis.