Generic modules and inverters

Library entries for a module or inverter without a PAN or OND file: how each is made, its values and how to use it

What it is

The library holds six generic modules and nine generic inverters for a design whose components are not chosen yet. Each stands for a class of entries on the CEC equipment lists and is built from the entry nearest the class's typical values. Replace it with the real component's PAN or OND file, or its library id, when the component is known.

How each entry is made

A class is a module technology, cell count, power band and whether the module is bifacial, or an inverter power band and AC voltage. The tables below list each class.
Each entry of the class gets a distance from the class medians of a few shape values. For a module: the power temperature coefficient, the voltage and current temperature coefficients relative to V_oc and I_sc, V_mp/V_oc, I_mp/I_sc, V_oc per cell and the NOCT. For an inverter: the DC power at the AC rating over the AC rating, the start and night powers over the AC rating, the CEC weighted efficiency, the Sandia reference voltage and the MPPT window.
The distance is the sum of the squared differences from the medians, each divided by 1.4826 times the median absolute deviation. The entry with the smallest distance is the basis.
The basis is scaled to the class rating with k = the class rating / the basis rating. A module's currents, diode saturation current and current temperature coefficient are multiplied by k, and its series and shunt resistances are divided by k. Its voltages are unchanged, so the I–V curve keeps its shape. An inverter's AC and DC powers and its start and night powers are multiplied by k, and the Sandia coefficient C₀ is divided by k.
The scaled entry then goes through the conversion every CEC entry of the library goes through: the one-diode parameters for a module, the part-load efficiency table and the Sandia parameters for an inverter.

Values set by pvperf

Module size: the common size of each class's format. The CEC list gives the area only.
Bifaciality factor: 0.80 for the two bifacial modules.
Maximum DC voltage: the inverter's voltage class. That is 600 V for single-phase, 1,000 V for three-phase 480 V, 1,500 V for the 125 kW, 350 kW and central inverters, and 60 V for the microinverter. The CEC list gives the top of the MPPT window in its maximum-voltage column.
Input current limit: none for the string and central inverters, because an entry's limit depends on its number of inputs. The microinverter's limit is 14 A, above the maximum-power current of the 400 W and 440 W modules.
Microinverter MPPT window: 27–45 V, from current microinverter datasheets.

Modules

Id	Power (W)	Cells in series	Size (m)	Efficiency (%)	V_oc (V)	V_mp (V)	I_sc (A)	I_mp (A)	Power coefficient (%/°C)	NOCT (°C)	Bifaciality
`generic-module-400w-residential`	400	54	1.722 × 1.134	20.5	37.07	31.01	13.79	12.90	-0.361	43.2	0.00
`generic-module-440w-residential`	440	54	1.762 × 1.134	22.0	38.90	32.50	14.23	13.54	-0.293	46.1	0.00
`generic-module-580w-commercial`	580	72	2.278 × 1.134	22.5	52.10	43.66	14.11	13.35	-0.298	43.5	0.00
`generic-module-620w-bifacial`	620	66	2.382 × 1.134	23.0	48.90	41.45	15.87	14.96	-0.290	45.2	0.80
`generic-module-700w-bifacial`	700	66	2.384 × 1.303	22.5	48.30	40.30	18.41	17.37	-0.298	43.1	0.80
`generic-module-540w-cdte`	540	268	2.300 × 1.216	19.3	227.70	188.70	3.06	2.86	-0.295	48.9	0.00

Module classes and bases

Id	Class: technology, cells in series, power band (W), bifacial	Entries in the class	Basis entry	Basis power (W)	Scale k
`generic-module-400w-residential`	Mono-c-Si, 54, 390–410, no	572	AXITEC AC-400MH/108VB	400	1.0000
`generic-module-440w-residential`	Mono-c-Si, 54, 430–450, no	259	Mission Solar Energy LLC MSX10-450HN0B {B}	450	0.9778
`generic-module-580w-commercial`	Mono-c-Si, 72, 570–590, no	225	PT IDN SOLAR TECH IDN144H-570ND	570	1.0175
`generic-module-620w-bifacial`	Mono-c-Si, 66, 610–630, yes	86	Vietnam Sunergy Joint Stock Company VSUN625N-132BMHR-DG	625	0.9920
`generic-module-700w-bifacial`	Mono-c-Si, 66, 690–710, yes	61	Thornova Solar TS-BGT66(695)-G12	695	1.0072
`generic-module-540w-cdte`	CdTe, any, 525–550, no	12	First Solar Inc FS-7540A-FT1	540	1.0000

Inverters

Id	AC power (W)	DC power at the AC rating (W)	MPPT window (V)	Maximum DC voltage (V)	Maximum efficiency (%)	Start power (W)	Night power (W)	Input current limit (A)
`generic-inverter-micro-350w`	350	362	27–45	60	97.29	2.4	0.27	14.0
`generic-inverter-1ph-3800w`	3,800	3,894	180–480	600	97.71	20.4	2.01	none
`generic-inverter-1ph-7600w`	7,600	7,831	200–480	600	97.33	35.9	1.40	none
`generic-inverter-1ph-11400w`	11,400	11,760	257–500	600	97.31	47.2	13.42	none
`generic-inverter-3ph-30kw`	30,000	30,568	485–830	1,000	98.34	68.3	2.34	none
`generic-inverter-3ph-60kw`	60,000	61,114	570–800	1,000	98.37	148.7	0.90	none
`generic-inverter-3ph-125kw`	125,000	127,418	860–1,200	1,500	98.69	98.0	5.59	none
`generic-inverter-string-350kw`	350,000	355,761	880–1,300	1,500	98.71	489.0	15.00	none
`generic-inverter-central-4400kw`	4,400,000	4,502,477	915–1,300	1,500	98.58	11,016.3	266.64	none

Inverter classes and bases

Id	Class: AC power band (W), AC voltage (V)	Entries in the class	Basis entry	Basis AC power (W)	Scale k
`generic-inverter-micro-350w`	330–370, 240	82	Qcells North America: QMI349B-G1 {240V}	349	1.0029
`generic-inverter-1ph-3800w`	3,700–3,900, 240	43	Delta Electronics: M4-TL-US {240V}	3,840	0.9896
`generic-inverter-1ph-7600w`	7,500–7,700, 240	93	ABB: UNO-76-TL-OUTD-S-US-A {240V}	7,600	1.0000
`generic-inverter-1ph-11400w`	11,300–11,500, 240	32	FOXESS CO LTD: AIO-AC1-114-US {240V}	11,339	1.0054
`generic-inverter-3ph-30kw`	29,000–31,000, 480	27	Delta Electronics: M28U_120 {480V}	30,709	0.9769
`generic-inverter-3ph-60kw`	58,000–62,600, 480	37	ABB: PVS-60-TL-R-US {480V}	60,033	0.9994
`generic-inverter-3ph-125kw`	120,000–130,000, 480, 600	32	Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd: SG125HV {600V}	125,000	1.0000
`generic-inverter-string-350kw`	320,000–360,000, any	7	Chint Power Systems America: CPS SCH350KTL-DO/US-800 {800V}	350,000	1.0000
`generic-inverter-central-4400kw`	4,000,000–4,600,000, any	11	Gamesa Electric: PV4500 {660V}	4,405,964	0.9986

Using them

In a request, send the id as the component: "module": {"id": "generic-module-440w-residential"} and "inverter": {"id": "generic-inverter-1ph-7600w"}.
GET /v1/library/modules?q=generic and GET /v1/library/inverters?q=generic list them. GET /v1/components/{id} returns every value, with the basis entry and the class under meta.generic.
A microinverter system: array.modules_per_string 1, array.strings_per_inverter 1 and array.n_inverters equal to the module count. Each module then clips at 350 W on its own.
In the workbench, the generic entries are first in the Module and Inverter tab lists.

The warning

A run that uses a generic module or inverter carries the warning generic_component in summary.warnings. The field is module.id or inverter.id when the id was sent, and module or inverter when the entry's values were sent inline, as the workbench sends them. The warning does not block the run.

References

California Energy Commission, Solar Equipment Lists: PV modules, with the six-parameter model fitted by NREL as distributed in the System Advisor Model library (CEC Modules.csv)
California Energy Commission, Solar Equipment Lists: inverters, with the Sandia model parameters as distributed in the NREL System Advisor Model library (CEC Inverters.csv)