Working with Graphs

ICON_Under-Construction

This topic describes SAM 3.0 and has not been revised for SAM 2009 Beta.

You may find useful information, especially if you are new to SAM, but some of the information may be inconsistent with the new version.

The Results Summary page displays two types of graphs: Standard graphs appear by default when you run an analysis and are indicated by an asterisk in the Graphs list, custom graphs are graphs that you create based on a copy of a standard graph. You cannot modify or delete standard graphs.

Note. When the current graph is a standard graph (indicated by a an asterisk in the graph name), only the Add button is active. When the current graph is a custom graph, the Edit, Add, and Delete buttons are active.

Standard Graphs

To view standard graphs:

1.	In the Graphs list, select the standard graph you want to view. Note the asterisks in the graph names indicating that these are standard, pre-determined graphs.

2.	Solar Advisor displays the graph. Note the table below the graph that displays the graph values.

Tips for viewing graphs:

•	Adjust sliders to see the effect of changing input variables on the graph.

•	Add and remove sliders using the Choose Sliders button. (See Sliders.)

•	Clear the Autoscale check box before moving a slider to make graph changes more visible.

•	If a graph goes off scale when you move a slider, a red arrow will appear at the top or bottom of the graph scale. Click the red arrow to automatically rescale the graph.

•	To change the graph size, resize the Solar Advisor window.

•	If the legend takes up too much space in a graph, clear the Legend check box to hide the legend.

•	Refer to the table under the graph for exact values displayed in the graph.

•	To export the data in the table to an Excel spreadsheet, click Send To Excel.

•	Check and clear the Show Title check box to show and hide the graph title.

•	Click Show Notes to display an editable text box to make notes about a graph. Solar Advisor associates a text box with each graph in the Graphs list.

Table 30. Standard Graph Descriptions and Sample images.

Graph Name	Description	Image
Annual Output	Total annual output versus project year. Shows the total energy produced by the system for each year of the project life.
Cashflow	After-tax cash flow for each year of the project life. Red indicates negative cash flow, green indicates positive cash flow.
LCOE	Real and nominal levelized cost of energy on a single graph.
Cost stacked bar	Cost of energy bar graph showing relative contribution of each project cost. The operation and maintenance (O&M) contribution is the value of all O&M cash flows discounted to year 1. The values of remaining costs are from the capital costs shown on Costs page.
Monthly Output (Monthly Thermal Energy)	Monthly average values of system electric (thermal) output for each month of the year.
Monthly (Annual) Energy Flow	Monthly (annual) average incident radiation and electric output at various points in the system. For concentrating solar power systems, the graph shows intermediate thermal energy quantities.

Custom Graphs

A custom graph is a graph that you create based on a copy of a standard graph. Custom graphs include two-dimensional bar and line graphs, and three-dimensional surface and contour graphs.

Table 31. Graph Axis options for two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) graphs.

Axis Name	Description	Available Variables	Graph Types
X Values	Horizontal axis of 2-D graphs and contour graphs. On 3-D surface plots, appears as horizontal axis perpendicular to the y-axis.	Time (year, month), parametric.	all
YValues	Vertical axis of 2-D graphs and contour graphs. On 3-D surface plots, appears as horizontal axis perpendicular to the x-axis.	2-D: Selected output variables. 3-D: Parametric.	all
Y2 Values	Second vertical axis on 2-D graphs. Scale displayed on right side of graph.	Selected output variables.	bar, line, stacked bar
ZValues	Vertical axis of 3-D surface plots. Colored lines on contour plot.	Selected output variables.	surface, contour
Parameter1	Parametric variable to display on x-axis of 2-D graphs. Variable names only appear when one or more parametric variable is defined.	Parametric.	bar, line
Parameter2	Second parametric variable to display on x-axis of 2-D graphs. Variable names only appear in list when two or more parametric variables are defined.	Parametric.	bar, line

To create a custom graph:

1.	On the Results Summary page, choose an existing standard or custom graph that is similar to the one you want to create.

2.	Click Add to display the Graph Info window with a copy of the properties of the current graph. You can save a few steps by selecting a standard graph similar to the one you want to create.

3.	Solar Advisor assigns a name to the new custom graph using the name of the current graph followed by a number indicating the number of copies that exist of the original graph.

4.	Type a new name in the Name box if you want to change the graph name.

5.	Select a type of graph from the Graph Type list.

6.	Select variables to display on each axis of the graph. The available axes depend on the graph type. Refer to the table below for a description of graph variables.

7.	Click OK to close the Graph Info window and display the graph on the Results Summary page. Solar Advisor may require a few seconds to display the graph.

To modify a custom graph:

1.	On the Results Summary page, select the custom graph that you want to modify in the Graphs list. Note that custom graph names are not preceded by an asterisk.

2.	Click Edit to display the Graph Info window with a copy of the properties of the custom graph.

3.	Solar Advisor assigns a name to the new custom graph using the name of the current graph followed by a number indicating the number of copies that exist of the original graph.

4.	Type a new name in the Name box if you want to change the graph name.

5.	Select a type of graph from the Graph Type list.

6.	Select variables to display on each axis of the graph. The available axes depend on the graph type. Refer to the table below for a description of graph variables.

7.	Click OK to close the Graph Info window and display the graph on the Results Summary page. Solar Advisor may require a few seconds to display the graph.

To delete a graph:

1.	On the Results Summary page, select the name of the graph you want to delete in the Graphs list.

2.	Click Delete. You can only delete custom graphs from the Graphs list.