Entering Inputs

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Solar Advisor's input pages provide access to the input variables, options, and libraries that define the assumptions of your analysis.

By default, the input variables contain values equivalent to those used in the sample templates. If you are in doubt about what value to use for an input variable, you can usually use the default value.

Refer to the Input Page Reference for detailed descriptions of the input variables on each page.

See Working with Libraries for information about the component libraries.

Input Page Overview

The input pages are where you view and edit input variables:

The case tabs display different cases in the project. A project may consist of a single case, or may contain more than one case. Click a tab to display the case. Click the 'x' on a tab to delete the case.
The navigation menu displays a list of input pages available for the technology and market of the current case. Click an item in the navigation menu to display an input page. The active input page is indicated on the menu in blue. When the menu is too long to fit in the window, use the vertical scroll bar to move through the menu, or resize the Main window to make the entire menu visible.
The navigation menu also shows summaries of the data from the input pages. For example, the system costs item in the navigation menu shows the system's total installed cost.
Click Configure Simulations to define the simulation parameters before running simulations.
Click Run to run simulations and generate results.

SS_MainWindow-Inputs

Input Page Color Conventions

The text and data box colors indicate the kind of information they contain:

White data boxes display input variables that you can modify.

SS_InputBoxesWhite

Blue data boxes are for reference values that Solar Advisor either displays from other input pages, or calculates from other input variables. Data in blue cannot be modified.

SS_InputBoxesBlue

Gray data boxes show values for your reference. For example, these weather data on the Climate page show annual averages calculated from data stored in the weather file. Data in gray cannot be modified.

SS_InputBoxesGray

Blue underlined text indicate links to websites with useful information related to the input page.

SS_InputBoxesBlueUnderline

Information about the input variables is displayed as orange text.

SS_InputBoxesOrangeText

Library buttons populate input variables with values from a library of stored parameters. Modifying a value on an input page does not change the value stored in the library.

SS_InputBoxesLibrary