Product news: Snow losses calculation now available in Solargis Evaluate

Solargis Evaluate now includes snow losses calculations, providing developers with a more realistic estimate of energy production in regions affected by snowfall. This is one of the latest enhancements in the new Solargis Evaluate platform that we launched in early 2025.

Solargis Evaluate users can now automatically simulate snow losses using the new Solargis snow loss model. This allows for better planning of solar panel maintenance and helps mitigate financial losses caused by snowfall.

As part of the latest release, users can also calculate soiling losses using the Solargis soiling loss model. 

Why is calculating snow losses important for PV performance?

Accumulation of snow on PV modules blocks solar irradiation and leads to power production losses. This is particularly problematic in regions with frequent and prolonged snowfall, such as parts of Europe, North America, and Asia.

For solar operators, accurate forecasting of snow losses is essential to minimizing financial risks. Grid operators and investors require precise energy yield predictions to manage power supply, purchase balancing power, and plan investments in snow-prone areas.

Solargis Evaluate brings smarter approach to snow loss modeling

Since snow losses directly impact final PVOUT, Evaluate provides more realistic energy yield predictions, helping prevent PVOUT overestimation.

The Solargis snow loss model integrates data from two leading sources:

• ERA5 and ERA5-Land – Provides hourly meteorological data such as fresh snow depth and air temperature with spatial resolutions of approximately 31 and 9 kilometers, respectively.
• Solargis satellite-model solar radiation data – Delivers precise solar radiation data, essential for estimating PV power production under normal conditions.

Solargis complements this with high-resolution global tilted irradiation (GTI) data, which is essential for estimating PV power production and plays a direct role in accelerating snow melting.

Snow loss calculations are performed using 15-minute Time Series, ensuring a detailed temporal resolution.

By combining these datasets, Solargis Evaluate ensures highly accurate snow loss modeling, enabling better planning and risk assessment for solar projects.

When calculating snow losses, Evaluate users can now choose from three options:

• Snow loss simulation calculated by the Solargis snow loss model
• Option to manually adjust monthly snow loss values if you prefer your own estimates or have the data measured.
• Default setting – flat snow losses value (0%)

Solargis Evaluate: A new standard for PV project evaluation

By integrating snow loss calculations, Solargis Evaluate enhances the accuracy of PV simulations, helping developers, investors, and grid operators make better-informed decisions. 

The new Evaluate is a more advanced, cloud-based software solution for complete PV project design and evaluation, integrating:

• High-resolution solar, meteorological, and environmental data
• 3D PV power plant design module
• PV components catalog
• Advanced PV performance simulation
• Analytical reporting

With climate conditions becoming increasingly unpredictable, precise modeling of environmental factors like snow losses is critical for ensuring financially viable and technically sound projects.

Learn more about the Solargis snow loss model here.