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Sighten‘s solar energy system production model incorporates key aspects of the industry’s most sophisticated models while maintaining simplicity of user inputs. This document summarizes Sighten’s solar production modeling capabilities, which includes an internal production calculator (based on the PVsyst 5 parameter model) and an integration with the PVWatts v6 API.

Sighten

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Production Model Highlights

  • Simple Inputsinputs: simple and non-assumptive user inputs required - module and inverter quantities/models, pitch, azimuth, soiling, and shading

  • Hourly production profile: hourly production calculations with granular weather data

  • NREL validated remote shading: with the Project Sunroof integration, Sighten's automated shading tool provides instant shading data for an array within 2% accuracy
  • Equipment-specific calculations: module and inverter-level electrical behavior modeled based on the equipment used

  • Production methodology: organizations can choose their production methodology in Sighten’s tool at an organization-specific level. A change to the selected production methodology will impact all new systems. Existing systems will continue to use the production methodology selected when they were designed.

  • Production override: using either methodology, the tool also supports an annual production override. This scales the hourly production based on the overridden amount.

  • Financier derate and degradation: the system production can be modified with an annual degradation assumption at an organization and financing product-specific level. For homeowner agreements, an annual degradation percent can also be set at a product-specific level for financier expected production and financier guaranteed production. A derate on the yearly production can also be set on a product-specific level for financier guaranteed production.

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Sighten offers several modeling improvements over PVWatts. For example, Sighten's model takes into account shade recovery from optimizers and microinverters, unlike PVWatts. Differences in methodology are listed below.

Component

Sighten 

PVWatts 

Weather data 

NREL TMY Stations 

NREL TMY Stations 

Shading 

SAM2 shading model 

User input 

Module production 

DeSoto 5-parameter 

User input 

Inverter efficiency 

SAM CEC Efficiency 

User input

Sighten Production Calculation

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