EngiMetric
Aerial view of rows of photovoltaic modules at a large solar farm

Stage 4 of 13 / Calculation

Configure the array

Turn a target DC size into a whole-module layout and check the DC/AC ratio against the inverter.

  • Practitioner
  • 13 stages
  • 10 min
  • Solar PV and electrical storage
Development preview Solar PV and Battery: Full Engineering Workbench
Development preview. The calculations on this journey run on existing EngiMetric engines, but the journey text and scope have not completed independent engineering review. The route is excluded from search while it remains a preview.
Professional review required.The engines are implemented and unit-tested in this repository, but the journey copy, defaults and boundary still require review by a licensed engineer before publication. The route remains a noindex preview. Current verification state: Needs engineering review.

After this stage you can

Learning objectives
  • Convert a target DC rating into a whole-module count.
  • Read the DC/AC ratio and clipping loss together.
  • State the structural and access checks the workbench does not perform.

The engineering

Arrays are built from whole modules. The workbench rounds the target DC size to a module count, computes the actual DC rating and compares it with the inverter AC rating. That ratio drives both clipping and the cost per kW of conversion.

A high ratio is not automatically wrong. It can raise yield in diffuse or winter conditions and reduce inverter cost. It becomes a problem when midday clipping is large or when the inverter cannot accept the array current. The workbench reports both instead of applying a fixed rule.

The layout is a screening arrangement, not a structural design. Roof area, row spacing, wind uplift, access and fire setbacks must be checked separately before the module count is fixed.

EngiMetric / solar workbench

Your project, computed stage by stage

Loading the saved project state...

Preview screen. Inputs are saved in this browser only. Resource presets and tariffs are illustrative. Failed checks stay visible; a clean summary is not a stamped design.

Inputs and outputs

What this stage owns

You own

  • Module wattage and count
  • Inverter AC rating
  • Module area and ground cover ratio

You produce

  • Actual DC kWp
  • DC/AC ratio
  • Clipping loss and specific yield

Your deliverable for this stage

Capstone evidence

An actual DC rating, module count and DC/AC ratio with clipping stated.

Stage assumptions, limits and sources

Provenance

Assumptions

  • All modules are identical and receive the same irradiance and temperature.
  • The inverter AC limit is a hard cap for the screening model.

Constraints

  • No module-level power electronics, optimizer or multiple MPPT orientations.
  • The layout is not a structural or fire-access design.

Limitations

  • No row-to-row shading, rooftop obstruction or cable-routing constraint.
  • No mismatch from mixed module types or partial string shading.

Review status

  • Needs engineering review
  • Professional review is required before publication or use as a design basis.

Stage progress is stored in this browser only. The explanation and every limit on this page remain readable with JavaScript disabled; the calculators need it to run.

Stage kind: Calculation / Journey: solar-bess-screening / Stage: array-configuration