[RE-wrenches] SMA Sunny Design temperature/voltage calculations

[Steve Jefferson]

Morning Wrenches,

The online version of the String sizing program was flawed in many ways. I also believe that installers were relying on it exclusively to design systems.
Part of the issue is that it was using data for the design from our main headquarters in Kassel, Germany. 

Sunny Design is a much more powerful tool and much more accurate.
I understand people don't like change, but Sunny Design is a huge improvement vs. the online String sizing program.

SMA will be releasing a new version online, but it will be similar to Sunny Design.
Should be available sometime in the first quarter 2012.

SMA America, LLC
Steve Jefferson
Sr. Technical Service Specialist, Sunny Family
6020 West Oaks Blvd, Suite 300
Rocklin, CA 95765 - 3714
U.S.A.
Tel:  +1 916 625 0870
Fax: +1 916 624-2445
Service Line +1 877 697 6283 (Toll Free)
Email: steve.jefferson at sma-america.com
www.SMA-America.com
 
This email and any attachments thereto may contain SMA America, LLC confidential, privileged and private material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this email (or any attachments thereto) by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this email and any attachments thereto. Thank you.

-----Original Message-----
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Joel Davidson
Sent: Friday, December 02, 2011 7:46 AM
To: Howie at CatamountSolar.com; RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] SMA Sunny Design temperature/voltage calculations

Howie,

Thank you for speaking up.

SMA, please bring back the old string sizing program. Please.

When John Berdner introduced the SunnyBoy and showed us the spreadsheet (I 
got version X3.13 in 2003), it answered all our temperature, voltage and 
power questions. When the string sizing program went on-line, it literally 
changed system design. You could quickly do what-ifs and try different 
inverter, module and strings to meet site and requirements.

Wrenches speak up. Hopefully SMA will do the right thing and put that 
oldie-but-goodie back on-line.

Fröhliche Weihnachten
Joel Davidson


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Howie Michaelson" <howie at suncatchervt.com>
To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 9:17 PM
Subject: [RE-wrenches] SMA Sunny Design temperature/voltage calculations


Apropos to the great discussion about temperature voltage calculations,
has anyone else been frustrated by the removal of output information on
the Sunny Design tool compared to the old on-line string sizing
calculator?  It was very useful to me to have the string sizer show the
temperature voltage calculations for low and high temperature - as far as
I know the only string sizing application that showed this info.

The defunct online sizer allowed me to quickly look at a variety stringing
options, see the impact on voltage, narrow down the possibilities and then
run my own voltage calculations to verify.  Sunny Design makes quickly
scanning various string options not so easy, and it buries the results
behind more obscure output info.  It is quite a sophisticated program, but
I wish they gave a way to see the calculations behind the choices it
makes.  Or am I just missing something?

Howie
-- 
Howie Michaelson
NABCEP Certified Solar PV InstallerT

Catamount Solar, LLC
Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
VT Solar Electric & Hot Water Incentive Partner
http://www.CatamountSolar.com
802-272-0004





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