Frequently Asked Questions: General
Normally PV*SOL and T*SOL adopt the settings of the decimal symbol from the Windows 7 settings. But in some cases it doesn't.
Please try the following:
1. Close PV*SOL/T*SOL.
2. Go to “Control Panel” => “Region and Language” and change the language to “Spanish (Spain)” or any other location.
3. Start PV*SOL/T*SOL and try if MeteoSyn works. Afterwards close the program and go back to the “Control panel”.
4. Change back to your standard language.
5. Start the program and try if everything works fine.
No, but you have to make sure that the new version is installed into its own separate folder.
Our software is developed to run on Windows operating systems. Additional software is required, such as VMWare or VirtualPC, in order to use our programs on a Mac or with Linux.
Please note that Valentin Software can't provide support for Mac or Linux installations.
The unit of currency in the program depends on the system settings of your operating system and can be changed in the Regional and Language Options of the Control Panel.
In the demo version you can view all the program components and features, but do not save or print. For the simulation only sample data and a limited number of climate records are available. You can use the manual and program help to obtain an overview of the content and capabilities of the program.
Free demo versions of our software are available in our download section.
The word “correct” cannot really be used in respect of climate data in this context. Climate data usually comes from different sources, can be determined by different measurement methods and can be collated from different average values or even different periods of time. Different algorithms can be used to generate the hourly values from monthly values. Climate data will therefore usually never be similar. The climate data for Germany comes from Deutscher Wetterdienst – DWD (German Weather Service) and is for average values over a period of 20 years during 1981-2000. The service tool on our website, on the other hand, creates hourly values based on PVGIS data (other source, other periods) using the algorithms from PVGIS.
If you create own climate data sets using MeteoSyn (starting PV*SOL Pro 4.5 and PV*SOL Expert 5.0) the algorithms and data of Meteonorm are used.
Please check if the climate data files are located in the directory which is set under Options > Paths > Climate Data.
Usually the climate data are installed in the following directory.
For climate data until PV*SOL Pro 4.0, PV*SOL Expert 4.5, T*SOL Pro 4.5, T*SOL Expert 4.5 and T*SOL express apply following:
- Windows XP / 2000: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Valentin EnergieSoftware\Meteo
- Windows Vista / Windows 7: C:\Program Data\Valentin EnergieSoftware\MeteoFor climate data starting PV*SOL Pro 4.5, PV*SOL Expert 5.0 and T*SOL Pro 5.0 apply following:
- Windows XP / 2000: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Valentin EnergieSoftware\MeteoFiles
- Windows Vista / Windows 7: C:\Program Data\Valentin EnergieSoftware\MeteoFilesIf you are using a different directory please adjust the path accordingly.
If your climate data is available in hourly format (i.e. 8760 values each for temperature, global radiation, wind and relative humidity) you can read these into our programs by saving the data as an ASCII file, separating the data with a TAB and using the extention *.dat.
The first lines (the file header) should look like this:
Example
Explanation
"Wien"
1st line: Name of location
48.1866,-16.3426,170,-1,-30
2nd line: latitude, longitude, altitude, time relative to Greenwich (eg -1 for Germany),-30 should be included at the end
3rd line: empty line
Ta Gh FF RH
4th line: should be as shown; separated by a TAB
The following lines of data come next:Example
Explanation
-5,0 0 1,8 75,5
-5,4 0 1,5 78,0
...
...5th to 8764th lines: external temperature – global radiation onto the horizontal/m² - wind speed - relative humidity; separated by a TAB.
Please note that missing data has to be filled up with "0".
In PV*SOL Pro 4.5, PV*SOL Expert 5.0 and T*SOL Pro 5.0 you are not longer able to import your own climate data.
To determine which Windows 7 edition you are using please open the system information window of your computer by pressing the “Windows” and the “Pause/Break” button simultaneously. In the “Windows edition” section your Windows 7 edition is shown.
If you are using an edition of Windows 7 without compatibility mode MeteoSyn will not work.
Otherwise you have the possibility to run our programs in the compatibility mode:
Click with the right mouse button on the program icon on the desktop and choose “Properties”. In the properties window choose the tab “Compatibility”. Enable “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and choose “Windows XP (Service Pack 3)” in the drop down menu below. Leave the “Properties” window by pressing the “OK” button. On every program start a new information message appears.
Please note: In some cases it is possible that MetoSyn will not work under Windows 7 even if the compatibility mode is activated.
Yes, you can load horizon files in the shade window by using the import function. Our software is compatible with the systems Horicatcher (Meteotest, Schweiz), Horizon (Energiebüro AG, Schweiz) and SunEye (Solmetric, USA).
Yes, but only Bitmap (*. bmp) files can be used. You can import the desired logo under Options - (Default) Settings - Project Report (- Project Report Header).
To display the help the Windows program WinHlp32.exe is required (Download: Windows Vista, Windows 7). Please follow the instructions from Microsoft.
The wPDF200A.dll file is required in order to create the Project Report in PDF format. The file is a part of Microsoft Windows Systems. Please copy the wPDF200A.dll file via the following link: http://solar-software.de/downloads/support/wPDF200A.dll and paste it into C:\WINDOWS\system32 or C:\WINNT\system32, depending on your Windows System.
Yes. The software calculations are using angles, i.e. an azimuth of 0 is always based on the position of the sun at its highest point (i.e. 12.00 noon).
For the northern hemisphere as follows:
Azimuth 0 = south, -90° = east, 90° = west, 180° = north
And for the southern hemisphere:
Azimuth 0 = north, -90° = west, 90° = east, 180° = south
