Sener’s proprietary ORUGA® software is certified by a Technical Advisor for performance calculations in PV plants on complex orography terrains

Calculating the annual electricity production of a PV plant in a complex orography terrain is a problem with no commercial solution today.

Sener has developed ORUGA® software, which selects the optimal lay out alternative in terms of LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity) for PV plants on any given terrain. This tool has optimal performance to address the most common problems that can affect the profitability of your project: the Lay Out module defines the optimal distribution by sweeping different combinations of DC power, trackers, panels, inverters, pitch/GCR and even batteries; the Civil Works module accurately calculates the Earthworks, as well as the length of the pylons required for plant construction; and its advanced 3D Backtracking algorithms maximizes production by positioning the trackers at the optimal angle to minimize shadowing between trackers throughout the day.

There are other reference software in the Market for Banks, Technical Advisors and Engineering firms – the most widespread, for example, is extremely accurate and detailed for flat terrains – but they present an important limitation: precise performance calculation on complex (undulating) terrains, where shadowing between trackers appears. The reference software on the market, for example, can only be used on plants of the order of a few MWp at most; it sets a reasonable limit of about 1 MWp and an upper limit of 5 MWp, due to the calculation time, which would be prohibitive at higher powers.

The decrease in annual electricity production when moving from a flat terrain to a complex one typically varies between 0 and 10%. The specific value depends on the complexity of the terrain in each case.

ORUGA® software calculates accurately the Annual Electricity Production of PV plants in complex orography terrains for any tracker model, applying Flat Backtracking or Sener proprietary 3D Backtracking strategy.

ORUGA® therefore overcomes the limitations of the Software considered as the Reference in the Market for commercial plants (>1 MWp) in complex orography terrains. This new feature can positively reduce the uncertainties associated to complex orography in PV projects at all levels: Development, EPC and Operation.

These results have been endorsed after a 6-month Technical Audit process carried out by a company specialized in the photovoltaic sector and at the request of an independent power producer. Sener has thus obtained the certification that positions ORUGA® as a more accurate alternative to the market standard for complex terrains.