How to Understand PVSyst's Menu Structure｜6 Basic Operations

Table of Contents

• PVSyst's menu structure is easier to navigate when understood in the order of tasks

• Basic Operation 1: Understand the role of the Project screen

• Basic Operation 2: Understand the workflow for meteorological data and site settings

• Basic Operation 3: Organize key equipment in the System Settings menu

• Basic Operation 4: Understand the roles of loss settings and shading settings

• Basic Operation 5: Use the screens for simulation execution and result review appropriately

• Basic Operation 6: Manage saving, duplicating, and report output in practice

• To stabilize PVSyst operations, also emphasize the accuracy of on-site information

PVSyst's menu structure is less confusing when understood in workflow order

When it comes to understanding PVSyst’s menu structure, what matters is not memorizing screen names but organizing each screen’s role according to the workflow. A generation simulation proceeds in the following order: first create the project’s basic information, then set the installation location and meteorological conditions, next input the electrical configuration such as solar panels and PCS, then reflect losses and shading conditions, and finally review the calculation results. Viewing PVSyst’s screens with this flow in mind makes them easier to understand.

The reason beginners often become confused is that PVSyst is not just a simple input form but a simulation environment for iterating on design studies, modifying conditions, making comparisons, and checking results. For example, when you want to change the azimuth or the tilt angle, there are situations where you can simply change the layout conditions, but there are also cases where you need to reassess shading effects or the system configuration. In other words, the tasks are not always completed within a single menu; you need to move back and forth between multiple screens to confirm the consistency of the conditions.

Therefore, at first it is helpful to view the menu in six broad sections: the "Create Project" screen, the "Choose Location" screen, the "Choose Equipment" screen, the "Set Losses" screen, the "Calculate" screen, and the "Results" screen. Thinking in these categories makes it easier to understand the purpose of each screen and makes you less likely to be confused by detailed buttons and setting items.

In practice, it is rare to operate PVSyst just once and be finished; you typically repeat changes to design conditions, explanations to clients, internal reviews, and re-simulations. For example, if part of the site becomes unusable, the installed capacity, array layouts, and shading conditions change. When revising PCS capacity, it also affects string configuration and loss conditions. To accommodate such changes, you need to understand that although each menu may appear independent, they are actually interrelated.

People who learn to use PVSyst quickly don’t memorize it by clicking through the screens from top to bottom; they learn by linking menus to specific tasks. Where do you start when creating a new project, which screen do you check when changing the conditions of an existing project, which screen do you review when results are lower than expected, and which items do you recheck before preparing a report? In this way, it is important to understand the judgments that arise in actual work together with the roles of the screens.

People searching for "PVSyst 使い方" are often not just looking for descriptions of the screens, but also want to know where to start operating for their own projects. In that sense, understanding the menu structure is a fundamental that should be acquired before learning detailed operating procedures. Grasping the overall picture first will reduce input errors and missed checks, and make it easier to explain the simulation results.

Basic Operation 1: Understand the Role of the Project Screen

What you should first understand when operating PVSyst is the role of the project screen. The project screen serves as an entry point for managing the project's basic information. The items set here—such as the power plant's location, project name, study conditions, and simulation assumptions—affect all subsequent work. Beginners tend to jump straight into configuring panels and PCS, but it's important to first understand what is managed at the project level.

A project is not just a file name. It serves as the foundation for holding multiple design proposals or sets of conditions for a single power plant plan. For example, when comparing proposals that change the tilt angle on the same site, change PCS capacity, or change how shadows are handled, you need the concept of separating and managing conditions within the project. If you proceed without understanding this, it will be difficult to know under which conditions the results were produced.

On the project screen, it is also important to assign clear project names. In practice, multiple stages occur for the same site, such as preliminary study, basic design, detailed design, and revised versions. If the names are ambiguous, it becomes difficult to determine which conditions the results reflect when reviewing reports later. Including location, design stage, capacity, creation date, and characteristic conditions in the project name makes management easier. However, making file or project names too long reduces their readability in lists, so it is useful in practice to establish internal naming rules.

When using the project screen, you don't need to try to enter perfect conditions from the start. Power generation simulations improve in accuracy by entering initial conditions, checking the results, and revising the inputs if anything seems off. However, items that form fundamental assumptions, such as the site and meteorological data, should be verified at an early stage. By setting the overall framework in the project screen before proceeding to detailed settings, you can minimize the need to backtrack.

Also, on the project screen, management operations such as opening an existing project, duplicating it, and saving it under different conditions also occur. In practice, it is common to want to create an alternative while keeping the original conditions intact. If you overwrite existing data directly in this situation, you may lose the ability to reproduce the original analysis results. Before changing conditions, it is safer to make a copy and then edit it.

The Project screen is the most fundamental location in PVSyst's menu structure, but it is not merely an entry point. Because it serves as the starting point for project information, scenario proposals, save management, and comparative review, handling it carefully stabilizes the entire workflow. When learning PVSyst's basic operations, it is important to make a habit of always checking on the Project screen “which project and which scenario you are currently editing.”

Understand the flow of weather data and location settings as Basic Operation 2

In PVSyst, meteorological data and site (location) settings are critically important menu items for calculating energy production. The energy output of a solar power system is strongly influenced by solar irradiance, temperature, installation location, azimuth, tilt, and the surrounding environment. Even if you finely adjust equipment specifications and loss settings, if the assumptions about the site or the meteorological data differ from reality, the reliability of the simulation results will decrease. Therefore, when understanding the menu structure, you should familiarize yourself with the screens related to meteorological data at an early stage.

In the site settings, enter the location information for the power plant in question. What is important here is that not only the address or region name, but also positional factors such as latitude, longitude, and elevation affect power generation calculations. Even with the same region name, weather conditions and solar radiation conditions differ in mountainous areas, plains, coastal areas, and snowy regions. In practice, it is desirable not to rely solely on the address listed in project documents, but to verify the actual site location as accurately as possible.

Meteorological data are the inputs that form the basis of power generation simulations. Solar irradiance and air temperature affect annual energy production, monthly production, and loss assessment. In PVSyst, there are stages where you select and verify the meteorological data to be used, but beginners sometimes proceed by "just choosing a nearby location" at this point. However, even if a location is nearby, large differences in elevation or terrain conditions can cause variations in the results.

When viewing the meteorological data screen, check which data are being used, whether the distance to the target site and the conditions are appropriate, and whether there are any anomalies in the monthly trends. In particular, if the annual power generation is higher or lower than expected, you should review not only the module and PCS settings but also the selection of meteorological data. When explaining differences in generation, clarifying which meteorological data were assumed will make it easier to confirm with internal and external parties.

Location settings and meteorological data are defined in the early stages of the project, but they may be revised later. For example, if the exact extent of the planned site is determined afterwards, the position of the representative point may be reviewed. Also, preliminary studies may use simplified meteorological conditions, while detailed studies may use conditions closer to the actual site. When making such changes, it is advisable to reflect them in the condition names or report names to avoid confusing previous results with the new ones.

In the menu structure, the meteorological data and site settings serve as an important bridge between the project's basic information and the system settings. Once the location and weather conditions are determined, subsequent considerations of tilt angle, azimuth, equipment configuration, and loss settings become meaningful. To master practical use of PVSyst, it is important to understand this screen not merely as an initial input but as the screen that establishes the basis for the simulation.

Organize primary equipment in the System Settings menu as Basic Operation 3

Within PVSyst’s menu structure, the screens related to system settings are where practitioners typically spend the most time. Here you configure solar panels, PCS, string configurations, installed capacity, electrical combinations, and other items. In order to understand how to use PVSyst, you need to consider this menu not merely as a place to enter equipment information but as the central interface that reflects the power plant’s design conditions in the simulation.

The first thing to check in system configuration is the specifications of the solar panels. Information such as output, voltage, current, and temperature characteristics affects power generation and equipment combinations. Beginners tend to proceed with settings by looking only at panel capacity, but in reality voltage changes due to temperature, the number of strings, and compatibility with the PCS input conditions are important. In power generation simulations, not only simple capacity calculations but also electrical constraints are reflected, so equipment specification settings directly affect the results.

Next to check are the PCS settings. The PCS is the device that converts the power generated on the DC side to the AC side, and its capacity, input range, conversion efficiency, and so on affect the simulation. If the PCS capacity is too small, output may be limited during generation peaks. Conversely, specifying an excessively large capacity can make it difficult to justify the design’s validity and cost-effectiveness. In PVSyst, it is important to set these while verifying the ratio of panel capacity to PCS capacity, the string configuration, and the consistency of the input conditions.

What you should pay attention to in the system settings menu is how to handle errors and warnings when they appear. PVSyst may alert you when there are inconsistencies in the configuration or when parameters fall outside recommended ranges. Beginners may stop proceeding when a warning appears, but it is important to interpret the meaning of the warning and check which conditions are causing it. For example, it may be related to the number of strings, input voltage, current, or PCS capacity. Rather than ignoring a warning and moving on, confirm whether it can be explained as a design condition.

Also, system configuration often involves comparing multiple options. For example: increasing the number of panels, changing PCS capacity, or modifying the string configuration. Managing these option scenarios separately within the same project makes comparisons easier. If you record what you changed each time you modify conditions, it becomes easier to explain differences in the results later. In particular, being able to explain why a given configuration was chosen is important for report submission and internal review.

To understand the system settings menu, you need to view the on-screen items not in isolation but as the configuration of the entire power plant. The number of solar panels, the number of PCS units, the string configuration, the installed capacity, and the conversion efficiency are all interrelated. Changing one value may affect other conditions. As a basic PVSyst workflow, it is good practice to make a habit of verifying the overall consistency after entering the equipment settings.

In practice, you input data into PVSyst based on design drawings, equipment specifications, site conditions, order terms, and so on. Therefore, rather than making judgments by looking only at the PVSyst screens, you must always verify the correspondence with the original documents. Organizing which documents the entered values are based on will make it easier to respond later if inquiries arise. The system settings menu is one of the areas in PVSyst where input errors are particularly likely to affect the results, so it is important to handle it carefully.

Understand the positioning of loss settings and shadow settings as Basic Operation 4

When trying to understand PVSyst's menu structure, the loss and shading settings are essential areas that cannot be overlooked. In power generation simulations, you consider not only the output obtained under ideal solar irradiation conditions but also the various losses that occur during actual operation. By configuring these carefully, the simulation results come closer to reality and become easier to explain in reports.

Loss settings include multiple factors such as temperature-related losses, wiring losses, soiling losses, equipment-conversion losses, and mismatch losses. Beginners may be uncertain how many of the loss items they should input because there are so many. However, the first thing to understand is that loss settings are not meant to intentionally make the power output look lower, but to reflect the unavoidable differences present in real-world power plants.

When performing loss settings, understand the meaning of each item and set values that are appropriate to the project's stage of review. In initial assessments you may use common values, but in detailed design you must set values that reflect wiring distances, equipment configuration, installation environment, and maintenance conditions. If you prepare a report while the rationale for the settings is unclear, it will be difficult to explain later. Therefore, it is important to treat loss settings not as mere data entry but as a process for clarifying the assumptions.

Shading settings are also a factor that significantly affects power generation. Surrounding buildings, trees, terrain, and shading between adjacent racks can reduce output depending on the time of day and season. PVSyst has a screen for taking shading effects into account, but beginners tend to put this menu off until later. However, depending on the installation site, shading can have a major impact on annual energy production, so it should be checked at an early stage.

What’s important in shadow settings is not only whether shadows are present but also deciding how much precision to use when handling them. Simplified conditions may be acceptable for initial studies, but detailed layout analyses and feasibility assessments need to reflect more specific surrounding conditions. In particular, shadows during periods of low solar altitude and in winter can have a greater impact than expected. It is important to check the site’s topography and surrounding obstructions and, if necessary, reassess placement and angles.

Loss settings and shading settings are often checked after the system settings, but in practice they are closely tied to the design conditions. For example, changing the layout of the panels can alter the shading between mounting structures. Changing PCS capacity or string configuration can also change how losses appear. In other words, loss settings and shading settings are not items to be entered just once at the end, but should be reviewed whenever the design changes.

As a basic operation in PVSyst, it is important to develop the habit of checking whether the loss settings and shading settings match the project's assumptions before looking at the simulation results. If the results are lower than expected, check not only the equipment capacity but also the shading and loss settings. If the results are too high, likewise review whether any loss inputs were omitted or shading was insufficiently considered. By performing this check, the simulation becomes something you can explain in practice, rather than merely producing calculation results.

As Basic Operation 5, separate the screens for running simulations and for checking results

The most intuitive breakpoint in operating PVSyst is running the simulation. Using the site, meteorological data, system configuration, losses, and shading conditions entered so far, it computes results such as annual and monthly energy yields. However, while running the simulation itself isn't difficult, correctly interpreting the results is not straightforward. To understand PVSyst's menu structure, you need to think of the screen where you press the calculate button and the screen where you review the results as separate.

Before running a simulation, verify the consistency of the settings. Check that there are no missing inputs, no warnings, no contradictions in the equipment configuration, that the meteorological data are correct, and that loss and shading conditions are reflected. Beginners tend to generate results first and think later, but if the assumptions are significantly wrong, it becomes difficult to identify the cause from the results. Pre-run checks are important to reduce rework in later stages.

When verifying results, do not look only at annual energy production; comprehensively check monthly production, the breakdown of losses, whether there are output limitations, and indicators related to the performance ratio. Annual energy production is an easy-to-understand metric, but by itself it cannot determine the validity of a simulation. For example, even if annual production is close to the expected value, if a specific month is extremely low, it is necessary to check the weather data, shading, snowfall, and angle conditions.

On the results screen, it is particularly important to check the breakdown of losses. If you can understand where generation is being reduced, you can identify directions for design improvement. If losses due to shading are large, it is necessary to review the layout and spacing. If constraints on the PCS side are significant, it may be necessary to reconsider capacity and configuration. If temperature-related losses are large, you need to consider the installation environment and ventilation conditions. In this way, the results screen is not merely a confirmation display but a screen for obtaining hints for design improvement.

Also, when reviewing simulation results, it is important to be aware of the relationship between the input conditions and the results. Rather than judging solely by the numbers, you should be able to explain why those results occurred. In practice, you will need to present results to various stakeholders such as clients, design engineers, construction personnel, and internal approvers. In such situations, simply saying “these are the results calculated by PVSyst” is not sufficient. You must explain which conditions were assumed, which losses were taken into account, and how the design scenario was modeled for the calculation.

Once you become familiar with using PVSyst, it becomes natural to refine the design by repeatedly running simulations and reviewing the results. Using the initial result as a baseline, compare how much the results change when you change the angle, change the layout, change the PCS capacity, or change the shading conditions. This comparison process makes it easier to choose a more appropriate design option.

In terms of the menu layout, the simulation execution screen may look like the goal of the task, but in reality it sits in the middle of the review cycle. It's important not to stop at simply viewing the results, but to review the assumptions in light of the results and, if necessary, recalculate. When using PVSyst in practical work, treating the results screen as "material for decision-making" rather than the "final output" will make the meaning of the operations clearer.

Manage saving, duplication, and report output as Basic Operation 6 in practical operations

To master PVSyst's menu layout in practical work, managing saves, duplications, and report output is essential. If you only enter simulation conditions and produce results, you can operate it as a single workflow. However, in practice, condition changes and comparative reviews occur repeatedly. If you lose track of which conditions were saved, which option is the latest, or which report was submitted, the reliability of the work suffers.

In saving operations, the basic rule is to reliably preserve the working conditions. This becomes especially important when multiple people handle a project or when you review it after a period of time, as the correspondence between the save name and the condition details is crucial. Rather than simply appending the date, use names that convey the design proposal’s characteristics or changes so it’s easier to judge when you look back later. For example, it’s helpful to make clear what changed—such as a proposal with a different tilt angle, a proposal with a revised PCS capacity, or a proposal with added shading conditions.

Duplicating is an important basic operation for using PVSyst safely. Directly editing existing conditions can make it impossible to reproduce the original results. In particular, if you overwrite the conditions corresponding to a submitted report, you will not be able to verify the same results later. Therefore, before making significant changes, it is standard practice to duplicate the original conditions and then edit them. This also makes comparisons easier and makes it simpler to track the history of condition changes.

In report outputs, check not only the simulation results but also how the input conditions and assumptions are described. The report is not merely a table of results but a document to explain the conditions and outcomes to a third party. Confirm that annual power generation, monthly power generation, breakdown of losses, equipment configuration, and meteorological conditions are appropriately reflected, and proofread the contents before submission. In particular, if the project name, condition name, creation date, and distinction between study proposals are hard to distinguish, the recipient may misunderstand.

In practice, conditions may change after a report has been generated. In such cases, you need to manage reports so that old and new versions do not get mixed. Standardize file names, storage locations, and condition names so it is clear which report is the latest. Also, when conducting an internal review, being able to explain the differences before and after the change will make the verification process smoother.

When it comes to understanding PVSyst's menu structure, attention tends to go to the input and calculation screens, but in practice, saving and output management are just as important. No matter how accurately you simulate, if condition management is insufficient, it becomes difficult to explain the reliability of the results. In particular, solar power generation design studies often involve many stakeholders and can have long review periods. Saving in a way that remains understandable later and aligning submission documents with the corresponding conditions leads to improved practical work quality.

When you first start using PVSyst, you tend to overlook saving and duplicating. However, as you become more familiar with the operations you’ll increasingly work with multiple proposals, and the importance of management grows. As basic practices, make it a habit to save before running calculations, duplicate before making changes, check the report contents before submission, and avoid overwriting conditions that have already been submitted. Simply having these habits can greatly reduce problems and rework.

Also Prioritize the Accuracy of On-site Information to Stabilize PVSyst Operation

If you understand PVSyst's menu structure and can grasp the workflow from project creation, weather data setup, system configuration, loss settings, shading settings, running simulations, to report output, the overall picture of the basic operations becomes much clearer. However, PVSyst is simply a tool for calculating power generation based on the conditions entered. If the accuracy of the on-site information you input is low, no matter how familiar you are with the menu operations, the reliability of the results will be limited.

In the design of solar power generation systems, it is important to verify that desk-based assumptions match the actual conditions on site. Site elevation differences, surrounding obstructions, terrain, orientation, existing structures, roads and drainage facilities, and the area available for installation all affect power output and layout planning. Even when setting shading and layout in PVSyst, the more accurate the on-site positional and shape information is, the easier it is to improve the accuracy of the assessment.

In particular, once you understand the menu structure and can operate it, the next challenge becomes "what to use as the basis for input." Meteorological data, equipment specifications, and loss conditions can be confirmed from documents, but the site's terrain, obstacles, and the exact locations of the installation area may need to be verified on site. There may be steps or slopes, heights of surrounding objects, and construction constraints that cannot be discerned from drawings alone. Whether you can incorporate this information will determine the practical value of the simulation results.

In this regard, on-site surveys and obtaining high-precision positional information are important processes that support the use of PVSyst. For example, LRTK, as a GNSS high-precision positioning device that can be attached to an iPhone, can be used on site to acquire location data and make it easier to organize information such as survey points, photos, and point clouds. If the installation area and the positions of obstacles on site can be recorded with high precision, this will also help verify the assumptions entered into PVSyst and support post-design on-site validation.

Learning how to use PVSyst is the first step in power generation simulation. However, if you want greater practical accuracy, it is important to consider not only operating the simulation interface but also on-site positioning, recording, and sharing. By using PVSyst to organize conditions and combining that workflow with obtaining high-precision site information using LRTK, you can reduce discrepancies between desk studies and field verification, making solar power project planning more reliable.