CRelease notes

The entries are updated with each release.

Version 1.9 — 2026-10-12

Terrain occlusion: Hills and slopes between PV area and observation point block reflections; terrain shades the sun on the PV area. Based on official 1 m terrain models of all German states.

More accurate calculation (calculation state 2026.10.12-9): Profile curves are interpolated, edge cells count with their area share, the 1° back-side limit now applies only to elevated PV; improved trackers with east-west axis, site altitude and zone edges. Every report states the calculation state on its cover.

Report and PDF: 3D perspective and terrain occlusion appendix with fine lines and a shared legend; terrain map per PV area with named support points; key figures from one source; a PDF is only created after settings are saved.

Editor: Exact values while drawing, checked field-of-view limits, missing inputs as to-dos instead of silent defaults, half-hour time zones.

Batch analysis: Worst case per variant, limit checks, correct token refunds.

Version 1.8 — 2026-09-28

Official aerial imagery: Official aerial images (digital orthophotos) from the surveying authorities of all German states, Austria and Switzerland are available as base map — in the editor, the report, the PDF and image downloads. For new projects they are preselected where available; Google Satellite and Google Map remain available. In the report, the base map can be set per figure or for all maps at once.

Source attributions: Every map shows its source attribution at the bottom left, for official aerial images with the year of acquisition where the service provides it.

Version 1.7 — 2026-09-15

Elevation data: The Elevation data menu lists all sources in one chain — your own terrain models, official models for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and Google. An official elevation raster can be downloaded for a section and stored with the project; authority and survey date are stated in the report.

Terrain and cross tilt: Every ground-mounted area gets a Terrain menu with an elevation grid, the median cross tilt and, optionally, a differentiated cross tilt with zones that can be derived automatically from the terrain. The terrain view shows slope, relief or elevation with contour lines on the map. If the elevation source or elevation data change, the terrain of the affected areas must be recalculated; the to-do list points this out.

Report: New appendices Topography and Cross tilt (differentiated) per ground-mounted area, a chapter on elevation data sources, map credits in every figure and reworked page breaks.

Computation core: The assignment of computation points has been refined; the underside of the module surface is no longer treated as reflective. New simulations may therefore differ from earlier results; saved reports remain unchanged.

Version 1.6 — 2026-08-28

Batch analyses (Pro): Multiple variants of a layout — e.g. different azimuths, tilts or module types — can now be simulated in one run. The entry point is right in the “Start simulation” window; each variant is stored as its own read-only version.

Version comparison & worst-case combination (Pro): Results of batch variants can be compared side by side in the report and combined into one worst-case result (up to 5 versions). The PV chapter lists the combined parameters per variant in a table.

Further improvements: The minimum angle to the gaze axis can be assessed as total, horizontal or vertical angle; filters now act cell-precisely in the 3D perspective and on the reflection map. An expired session locks report and editor immediately with a sign-in prompt. Plus polish and corrections in calculation and display.

Version 1.5 — 2026-08-19

Read values directly in the charts: In all result charts (glare times, intensity, daily duration), date, time, value and the PV areas involved can now be read directly with the mouse pointer. For filtered times, the tooltip shows which filters apply.

Reflection map extended: Reflection rays can be colored by luminance or illuminance (maximum per ray) and read individually with the mouse pointer — including filtered rays with their filter reasons. With a defined field of view, the map additionally shows the central gaze axis with a 5° graticule.

New "Illuminance" filter: Time steps whose visible illuminance at the observation point stays below a threshold (default 50 lx) can optionally be excluded from the glare duration — with an exception for glare sources close to the gaze axis. Available for new simulations.

Elevation sources consolidated in the appendix: The source references for terrain elevations (authority, license, data currency) now live in a dedicated appendix chapter; the point tables refer to it with a compact marker legend.

Version 1.4 — 2026-08-17

Point-precise evaluation of narrow reflection lobes: Strongly collimating or mirror-like module types are now evaluated point-precisely on the calculation grid — solid angle and illuminance of such modules enter the assessment with even higher precision. Re-running a simulation brings the improvement into existing projects.

Adaptive calculation grid: The calculation grid adapts to the apparent size of each PV area — separately for width and height. Distant or small-appearing areas are resolved considerably more finely; the spacings used are listed in the report under the simulation parameters.

Tilted gaze axis: Fields of view can now account for a tilted gaze axis (new "Tilt" column) — for example for descent and glide paths in aviation. The minimum gaze-axis distance shown in the report then refers to the tilted axis.

Complete elevation data: Missing terrain heights are visible at a glance in the editor ("—"), appear in the task list and are completed before the simulation — every simulation is thus guaranteed to run on complete heights. Source marks (A/G/E) now also appear for manually managed heights and after KML import.

Version 1.3 — 2026-08-11

Official elevation data (DGM1): For projects in Germany, automatic height calculation now uses the official 1 m terrain models of the German federal states by default. Every automatically retrieved value carries a source mark (A = official, G = Google, E = own data), and the legends in the editor and the report name the responsible state surveying authority together with the data date for each source — even when a project touches tiles from several states or vintages. Outside Germany, or if the service is unavailable, the Google Elevation API steps in automatically.

Vertical PV systems: Mounted systems on roofs and open fields now allow tilt angles up to 90° — upright systems such as bifacial solar fences or vertical agri-PV can be simulated directly.

Fixes: The rubber-band preview line while drawing works reliably again (a change in Google Maps was intercepted), page breaks in the report appendix are cleaner, and outages of the elevation service are reported clearly instead of being silently ignored.

Version 1.2 — 2026-07-28

Distant horizon shading: Shading by distant terrain — such as mountain ranges or ridgelines — can now be taken into account per PV area via a horizon line. The line is loaded automatically from PVGIS terrain data and can be reviewed in the editor's horizon diagram; reflections are excluded at times when the sun is below the horizon as seen from the PV area. In the report, the effect is toggled via the “PV shading” filter and shown as a horizon line in the 3D perspective.

Version 1.1 — 2026-07-17

Map overlays: Your own site plans, roof drawings or aerial images can be placed over the map as an overlay in the editor. Upload the image, position it accurately using two reference points and adjust its transparency — the position is saved automatically. PV areas, obstacles and observation points can then be drawn directly on top of your own plan.