Solar Simulation Software 2026: Buyer's Guide

Solar simulation software is the engine that turns a layout into a bankable yield report. The bankable standard is 8,760-hour module-level. This guide compares the five tools that ship the methodology and explains why SurgePV leads on integrated workflow.

The 5 Solar Simulation Tools That Matter

1. SurgePV (browser, all-in-one)

8,760-hour module-level simulation on every paid plan. Bankable yield reports with P50, P75, P90 outputs. Tied to AI design, financial modelling, AutoCAD export, and proposals. $1,299 to $1,899 per user per year.

2. PVsyst (desktop, bankable standard)

Industry-standard bankable simulator since the late 1990s. Windows-only desktop. ~€500 per user per year. Lender-mandated on some first-of-its-kind projects.

3. HelioScope (browser, engineering)

Strong 8,760-hour browser simulator. No native proposal builder. $99 to $300+ per user per month.

4. PV*SOL (desktop, regional)

German desktop tool. Windows-only. Regional focus, weaker outside Europe. ~€1,000 per user per year.

5. SAM / PVWatts (free, research)

NREL’s open-source simulators. Excellent for research and sensitivity studies. Not production-grade for EPC workflows.

Bankable Methodology Comparison

What SurgePV Bundles With Solar Simulation

• AI 3D roof modeling from satellite
• Clara AI natural-language design assistant
• 8,760-hour module-level shading
• Bankable P50, P75, P90 yield reports
• 70,000-module, 12,000-inverter database
• Country-specific tariff library and financial model
• DXF/DWG AutoCAD export
• Branded proposals with e-signature

All on every paid plan.

Lender Acceptance: What Actually Matters

Worked Example: 250 kW C&I Rooftop in Bengaluru

• Array: 250 kW (455 modules at 550 Wp)
• Inverters: 2 × 125 kW string inverters, 12 MPPTs total
• Soiling loss: 3.5%, snow: 0%, albedo: 0.20
• Tilt: 12 degrees south, two roof faces with one chimney shadow

For a rooftop this size, EPCs typically spec C&I on-grid inverters matched to the MPPT count before locking the simulation’s DC/AC ratio.

SurgePV 8,760-hour module-level simulation outputs:

• P50 yield: 387,500 kWh/year (1,550 kWh/kWp)
• P75 yield: 374,000 kWh/year
• P90 yield: 360,000 kWh/year
• Performance Ratio: 79.6%
• Capacity factor: 17.7%
• Simulation runtime: 1 minute 42 seconds in the browser

Pricing for 5-Engineer Teams

Teams that also need a buyer-facing quotation workflow once the simulation is locked often pair the output with QuickEstimate’s proposal generator.

Related Engineering Workflows

Simulation is one stage of the engineer’s toolchain, and the stages either side of it decide how much the simulation is worth.

Upstream, the loss figure is only as good as the shade model feeding it, which is why solar shading analysis software at 8,760-hour module-level resolution is the input that matters most. Downstream, lenders want the output packaged a specific way, covered in PV yield simulation software. For the full engineer-side stack from 3D model to stamped drawings, see photovoltaic design software.

If you would rather run all of this in the browser than on a Windows desktop, cloud solar design software explains why the compute-bound simulation step is exactly where cloud pulls ahead.

Who Should Choose Each

• Choose SurgePV for browser-based bankable simulation tied to the full design-to-proposal stack.
• Choose PVsyst when a lender mandates a PVsyst report by name.
• Choose HelioScope for engineering-only browser simulation.
• Choose PV*SOL for Germany-only desktop workflows.
• Choose SAM for research and sensitivity studies.

Contact Qbits with the exact model, site inputs and documents relevant to the request. Confirm the responsible party, deliverable, fees and response time after submission.