How can I set the annual degradation of the solar panels?

When you specify your system information in PVsell, you are provided with the 'Solar Adjustment' option. It allows you to enter an annual reduction in system output to account for degradation in performance if you wish.

Learn how to specify your system information:

System Size
System Pricing (incl. government incentives)

What system size should I choose? (Help Me Size)

1. Open your project's 'System' tab

Where do I find my list of projects?

1.1. Alternatively, you can configure this in your Library of Systems

1.1.2. Open the 'Systems' tab

1.1.3. Click the edit button next to the System you want to configure the Solar Adjustment settings for

Or click '+New System' to add a new system and specify all the system information and the solar adjustment settings for it. See the details here: How do I add a new system to my library?

2. In the 'Degradation' field of the 'Solar Adjustments' section, enter the annual reduction in system output as a percentage of the total system capacity

Here you can enter a custom value for the annual reduction in your system performance. You can leave this blank if you want to use your project default value.

Specify the annual reduction in system output as a percentage of the total system capacity.

3. Click here to make more solar adjustments (only if your project uses PVwatts)

The following fields only affect Projects which use the 'PVwatts' Solar Production Data found on the Site tab.

3.1. Select Module Type

From the dropdown list, select whether the Module is Standard, Premium, or Thin Film. This will affect the performance calculation.

3.2. Select Array Type

Select the necessary option from the drop-down list:

Fixed - Open Rack: Use for Ground-mount where there is free-flow of air behind the panel
Fixed - Roof Mounted: Use for flush or tilt-frame mounts to roofs

There are tracking options also available for utility-scale projects

1-Axis
1-Axis Backtracking
2-Axis

3.3. Enter the inverter efficiency at its rated power output

This is typically listed on the inverter datasheet.

This value must be between 90 and 99.5.

3.4. Enter Losses Type in a Simple or Detailed way

Choose Simple to enter a single loss factor, or Detailed to specify the losses associated with each part of the system.

3.4.1. Simple

Select the 'Simple' Losses Type,
and enter the percentage of energy lost due to the combination of the following factors. E.g., enter '11.4' for 11.4% losses.

This value must be between -5 and 99.

3.4.2. or Detailed

Select the 'Detailed' Losses Type,
and enter a number between 0 and 100 for each of the following loss factors. E.g., enter 2 for 2%.

Soiling: Typically reduces system yield by 2%, though may be higher in areas with less rainfall
Snow: Typically 0% in most non-mountainous Australian
Mismatch: Losses due to differing electrical characteristics of panels in a string. Typically 2% unless micro inverters/power optimisers are used
Wiring: The combined loss due to AC and DC wiring runs – typically less than 5%
Connections: Losses due to interconnections of cables, typically 0.5%
Light-induced degradation: Losses due to initial solar exposure. Typically 1.5%
Nameplate rating: Losses due to panel output being slightly less than quoted due to manufacturing tolerances
Age: Losses if panels installed are second-hand and have already degraded. 0% for new installations
Availability: Losses in annual production if the grid goes down

You can make further adjustments. If you wish to use your own solar production data for your project, you can configure this in PVsell too: How do I upload my own solar production data file?

Go on entering your project information:

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