- Spanish engineering company, SENER, has developed a software program called Oruga that conducts comprehensive analyses of tracker installation and earthworks on any type of topography, while at the same time assessing the combination of multi- and single-row trackers, and the best slope for each row, in order to streamline the total costs for the project.
“Oruga is the most advanced tool on the market for designing the most profitable photovoltaic plant on a given piece of land,” said Arturo Basurto, innovation manager at Sener. “It is capable of accurately calculating both the power production and the cost of the thousands of possible installations within a plot, selecting the most profitable configuration or providing the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE), thanks to two advanced algorithms for optimization of civil works and 3D backtracking.”
According to Sener, the Oruga software has two differentiating characteristics: the ability to accurately calculate groundworks, associated with each of the possible implementations within the plot; and the 3D backtracking algorithm allows the trackers to be positioned at the optimal angle to maximize electricity production, minimizing shadows between panels throughout the day.
The software analyses different combinations of panels, trackers or tables, inverters and batteries, as well as construction costs, depending on the market situation at any given time and customer preferences.
It also offers, through a graphic interface, the possibility of migrating to a building information model (BIM) environment for 7D control of the project, which represents the state of the art in the digitization of energy asset management, the company said.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: SENER
