Enertis Develops Online Soiling Calculator

• Enertis developed an online, subscription-based soiling calculator to accurately estimate the annual loss in power due to dirt and snow.
• The tool follows the Kimber and Townsend models.
• Weather datasets up to 20 years pulled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

Enertis, a leading global consulting and engineering company in the renewable energy sector, announced today The Enertis Soiling and Snow Application (TESSA) is live. This web-based soiling calculator developed by the company follows the Kimber and Townsend models to accurately estimate the annual loss in power due to dirt, snow, and/or other particle accumulation on the surface of PV modules.

Being able to accurately estimate a PV project’s soiling rate allows for practical decision making – like when and how often to schedule cleanings – to maximize the investment rate of return (IRR). Development of the online tool began in March 2020, when Enertis recognized a need for an all-in-one soiling rate solution.

“TESSA is Enertis’ answer to the current need for fast, reliable, and robust soiling and snow loss calculations,” says Data Science Senior Project Manager Lucas Viani. “TESSA is a powerful tool that allows the performance analysis in different scenarios and data sources for a specific location. It is also possible to perform direct comparisons of such losses among plants in a portfolio.”

TESSA’s features include:

• Parameters for both snow and dirt
• Weather datasets up to 20 years pulled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)
• Annual, monthly and daily soiling rates
• Precipitation effects
• Map view to compare projects with nearby NOAA stations
• Multi-project viewing to compare portfolios at a glance
• Non-U.S. clients can utilize the tool with a pre-existing TMY file