Who this is for
👨🎓 Students & fresh graduates
Engineering students looking to build job-ready simulation skills before entering the solar industry.
👨💼 Early-career engineers
Professionals in solar EPC or O&M who haven’t yet worked hands-on with PVSyst.
🔄 Career switchers
Engineers from adjacent fields transitioning into solar and needing a solid simulation foundation.
💼 Working professionals upskilling
Experienced engineers who want to add PVSyst to their toolkit and stay competitive in the solar market.
What you will learn
• Navigate PVSyst confidently and set up a project from scratch
• Import and evaluate meteorological data for any site
• Design grid-connected and standalone solar systems
• Select modules, inverters and optimise DC/AC ratio
• Model system losses — soiling, thermal, ohmic, IAM and more
• Read and interpret loss diagrams and performance ratio
• Generate a structured simulation report ready for review
Curriculum
Lay the groundwork. Understand why energy assessment matters and get comfortable inside the PVSyst interface before touching any numbers.
1.1 Why Energy Yield Assessment Matters
Learn how bankability, project financing and grid connection approvals all depend on accurate yield simulations — and where PVSyst fits in that chain.
1.2 Solar Geometry: Latitude, Longitude & Irradiance
Understand how the sun's position changes with location and season, and how global horizontal irradiance (GHI), direct normal irradiance (DNI) and diffuse irradiance relate to your site.
1.3 Tilt, Azimuth & Orientation Optimisation
Explore how panel tilt and azimuth angles affect annual yield. Run quick sensitivity checks in PVSyst to find the optimal orientation for your site's latitude.
Explore how panel tilt and azimuth angles affect annual yield. Run quick sensitivity checks in PVSyst to find the optimal orientation for your site's latitude.
Good simulations start with good data. Learn where to source meteorological data, how to evaluate its quality, and how to configure your first PVSyst project correctly.
2.1 Meteorological Data Sources & Quality Checks
Compare major data sources — Meteonorm, NASA POWER, SolarGIS, ERA5 — and learn how to assess data quality, check for gaps, and understand uncertainty in irradiance inputs.
2.2 Importing & Validating Weather Files in PVSyst
Step-by-step walkthrough of importing .MET and .CSV weather files into PVSyst, validating monthly totals, and identifying red flags before running any simulation.
2.3 Setting Up a Grid-Connected Project
Create a new project in PVSyst from scratch — define site coordinates, choose the simulation horizon, and configure project metadata for a clean, audit-ready file structure.
The heart of the simulation. Select equipment, configure sub-arrays, and optimise the DC/AC ratio — the decisions that most directly affect your yield results and project economics.
3.1 Module Selection & PAN File Handling
Learn how to find, import and verify PAN files for any PV module. Understand the key parameters — Pmpp, Voc, Isc, temperature coefficients — and what to watch out for in manufacturer datasheets.
3.2 Inverter Selection & OND File Handling
Import and interpret OND files for string and central inverters. Compare efficiency curves, understand MPPT voltage windows, and validate inverter compatibility with your chosen module.
3.3 DC/AC Ratio Optimisation
Understand how oversizing the DC array relative to the inverter affects clipping losses and yield. Run iterative simulations to find the optimal ratio for your site's irradiance profile.
3.4 Sub-Array Configuration & String Sizing
Configure multiple sub-arrays for complex sites — mixed orientations, different module types, split inverter connections. Apply string sizing rules to stay within MPPT and voltage limits.
3.5 Temperature Effects on PV Performance
Model how ambient temperature and module mounting affect cell temperature and power output. Compare NOCT and Faiman thermal models and understand their impact on annual energy yield.
Where most beginners go wrong. Learn to model every major loss category correctly so your performance ratio is defensible to investors, lenders and EPCs.
4.1 Light-Induced Degradation (LID)
Understand what LID is, which module technologies are affected, and how to input the correct first-year degradation value in PVSyst based on manufacturer data and IEC standards.
4.2 Module Mismatch Losses
Learn why modules in a string never perform identically, how binning tolerances and partial shading amplify mismatch, and how to set realistic mismatch loss values in PVSyst.
4.3 Soiling Losses
Model dust, bird droppings and pollution accumulation on module surfaces. Learn how to set monthly soiling profiles based on site location, cleaning frequency and local conditions.
4.4 IAM (Incidence Angle Modifier) Losses
Understand how light reflected off the module surface at oblique angles reduces effective irradiance. Configure the Fresnel or ASHRAE IAM model appropriate for your module's anti-reflective coating.
4.5 Thermal & Ohmic (Wiring) Losses
Model resistive losses in DC and AC cabling. Learn how conductor cross-section, cable length and operating temperature affect ohmic loss — and how to keep it within bankable thresholds.
4.6 Reading the Loss Diagram & Performance Ratio
Walk through PVSyst's loss diagram step-by-step. Understand what PR means, what a healthy value looks like for your climate, and how to identify which loss category is hurting your simulation most.
Turn your simulation into a deliverable. Learn to generate, read and present a professional PVSyst report that holds up to lender and EPC scrutiny.
5.1 Generating the Simulation Report
Configure and export PVSyst's full simulation report — choose the right output pages, set project metadata, and ensure every key parameter is documented for audit and review.
5.2 Interpreting Results: Energy, PR & Specific Yield
Learn to read the simulation summary — annual energy yield (kWh), performance ratio (PR), specific yield (kWh/kWp) — and understand what each number means for the project's viability.
5.3 File Management & Handover Best Practices
Organise your PVSyst project files for clean handover — folder structure, version naming, archiving weather data and equipment files so the simulation is fully reproducible by any reviewer.
Real project experience
Project 01 — Grid-connected rooftop simulation End-to-end simulation of a rooftop solar system — site setup, weather data import, system sizing, loss modelling and final report generation.
Certification & outcomes
🎓 4Solar Academy — PVSyst Essentials Certificate
Awarded on successful completion of the final simulation project and assessment. Validates your ability to independently execute a complete 2D PVSyst simulation workflow.
Roles this prepares you for: Solar Simulation Engineer · Energy Yield Analyst · PV Design Associate
Ready to start your PVSyst journey?
Fill out the contact form and our team will get back to you with batch details and pricing.