PlantPredict
3D Shade Scene: Shading Object Management & Satellite Imagery
The 3D Shade Scene viewer has received a major upgrade, giving users powerful new tools to build more accurate and visually immersive shading analyses — all within PlantPredict. Interactive Shading Object Editor — Users can now add, move, and delete shading objects directly in the 3D Shade Scene viewer. Supported object types include walls (polyline), polygons (3+ points), and cylinders (single-click placement). Objects can be repositioned by dragging them across the terrain, and changes are saved with a single click. After saving, users are prompted to re-run the shading analysis so results always reflect the latest scene layout. Satellite & Terrain Imagery Overlay — For georeferenced scenes, the 3D viewer now overlays real satellite imagery or terrain map tiles onto the terrain surface, replacing the default gravel texture. This provides geographic context — such as nearby trees, buildings, and terrain features — making it easier to identify where shading objects should be placed. Users can toggle between Satellite view, Terrain view, or no imagery at any time.PowerUQ Extension
Features & Improvements
- Prediction Comparisons for Large Projects — The previous 50-prediction limit for the Compare Predictions feature has been removed. Projects with large numbers of predictions can now take full advantage of side-by-side result comparisons without restriction.
- Improved 3D Shade Calculation Feedback — Progress indicators and error messages for 3D shade calculations have been overhauled, providing clearer status updates and more actionable error messaging when issues arise.
- Shade Scene Deletion Now Clears Results — Deleting a shade scene now properly clears associated prediction results, preventing stale data from persisting in the UI.
Bug Fixes
- ESS Inverter Efficiency Loss Reporting — Fixed the ESS Inverter Efficiency Loss calculation during battery charging hours. The reported loss value in nodal exports and prediction summaries now accurately reflects the AC-to-DC conversion direction. Actual energy results are unaffected — this was a reporting-only correction.
- Night Stow Angle Visibility — The “Night Stow Angle” field in Block Builder’s DC Field screen is no longer displayed when the Mounting Type is set to Fixed Tilt, eliminating a confusing and inapplicable input.
- Weather File Validation — Improved GHI and POAI validation logic in both the UI and API to ensure weather files are correctly validated during upload and creation.
- PVGIS Download — Resolved an issue preventing PVGIS weather data downloads from completing successfully.
- Monthly Result Charts — Fixed an issue where Monthly Result Detail charts on the Prediction Results page would fail to populate data for Single Year predictions.
- Map Builder Loss Values — Fixed a bug where saving a Map Builder design could cause DC Field loss values to be incorrectly overwritten, ensuring loss parameters are preserved accurately during save operations.
- 3D Shade Bounding Geometry — Resolved an issue where third-party PVC files with planar (2D) shade object geometry could produce degenerate bounding objects, causing shading calculation errors. Bounds are now guaranteed to have valid, non-degenerate geometry.
Version 13 (Beta)
This release introduces the initial Version 13 (Beta) prediction logic, which includes targeted corrections to energy calculation accuracy. These fixes are available under the V13 Beta prediction logic version.- Capacity Factor with Output Limit — Fixed the Capacity Factor calculation when the Power Plant Output Limit exceeds the plant’s actual MWac capacity. The calculation now correctly uses the lesser of the two values, preventing artificially low Capacity Factor reporting.
- ESS/Hybrid Plant Net Energy — Corrected the Plant Net Energy calculation for ESS and hybrid predictions to properly account for ESS auxiliary losses (HVAC and additional losses), which were previously omitted from the net energy summary.