Annual Energy Output will not change

To whom it may concern,


I'm trying to analyze the effects of shading & climate conditions on various BIPV technologies that I am using. Whenever I seem to press "simulate" on the command window, SAM always spits out the same value for the annual energy. This same number occurs even if I change the number of "active surfaces," being used and their orientation (N,S,E,W). Do you have any idea why?

Best,

Arsh Kahlon


Dear Paul,

Thank you so much for your help! I've tried to add the group numbers myself but I am not sure if it is correct. Would you please take a look and help me figure out the problem? I've attached the file below. Thank you!

Best,

Arsh Kahlon

Dear Arsh,
In order for the 3D Shade Calculator to apply shading factors to the correct subarray in SAM, you must use the active surface's group property to associate the active surface(s) to the subarray.
For example, if you have defined two subarrays on the System Design page in SAM, then in the 3D shade calculator, you should give a group name with the number 1 in it for each active surface that is part of subarray 1, and with the number 2 for each active surface that is part of subarray 2.
If you would like me to help you set that up, please either attach a copy of your .sam file to your original post above (click Edit and then attach the file), or [url=mailto:sam.support@nrel.gov?subject=SAM%20file%20with%203D%20shading t=_self]email it to me[/url].
Best regards,

Paul.

Dear Paul,

Thank you so much for your help! I've tried to add the group numbers myself but I am not sure if it is correct. Would you please take a look and help me figure out the problem? I've attached the file below. Thank you!

Best,

Arsh Kahlon

Dear Arsh,

Thank you for attaching the file.

If the shading scene were for a single building with four sides, or if all three buildings in your scene had the same orientation, I would have suggested that you set up each subarray in SAM (on the System Design page) to represent the modules on each of the four sides of the building. However because each building has a slightly different orientation, and the System Design page only has inputs for up to four subarrays, you might want to create a separate case for each building with a separate subarray for each building side, and then use the "combine cases" macro to apply a single financial model to the entire facility.

In SAM, on the System Design input page, for each subarray, choose a tilt angle and azimuth angle for the side of the building it represents.

In the shade calculator, include the subarray number in the group name for each active surface that is on the side of the building appropriate for that subarray.

For example, for Building A, assign the tilt and azimuth values of the building's north, east, south, and est walls to subarrays 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the shade calculator, include the number "1" in each active surface on the north side of the building, and the number "2" in each active surface on the east side of the building, etc.

To model the complete system, create a separate case in SAM for each building with a shading scene that contains all of the buildings. For each case, only place active surfaces on a single building. The result will be a SAM project with three cases, one each for Building A, B, and C. Then run the "combine cases" macro to calculate financial metrics for the entire project.

UPDATE: As of SAM 2021.12.02, the Combine Cases macro is replaced by the Calculate generation profiles and namelpate capacity from open cases option on the Power Plant page for the Generic System model and Generic Battery model. See the SAM YouTube channel for a short tutorial .

Let me know how that goes, and feel free to attach updated files if you'd like me to review them.

Also, if you'd like to discuss this application with the rest of the SAM development team, feel free to register for next week's SAM Round Table: sam.nrel.gov/events.html .

Best regards,
Paul.