Release Notes

• We have fixed a bug in reading the 1 km elevation used for height correction of AP and TEMP, which had caused a 1-pixel shift.

• We have implemented a minor change in the GTI and shading calculation for very low sun angles to enhance accuracy.

Bug fix

• Fixed visualization of theoretical curves in Time Series window

New features and improvements

• New Meteo quality control
  • New automatic QC methods were added for TEMP parameters.
  • Physical minimum and maximum limits for AP were improved to account for the site elevation.
  • Parts of the Meteo screen were redesigned, each parameter type has a separate list of automatic tests and their parameters.
  • Added Meteo QC status after Meteo quality control is finished.
• GHI-GTI 2-component test and GTI fix consistency test
  • A new 2-component test for comparing GHI and GTI parameters is now available in a radiation automatic quality control.
  • A new consistency test for comparing GTI fix with GHI, DNI, and DIF parameters is now available in a radiation automatic quality control.
• Dataset validation and dataset automatic updates
  • Improved speed of dataset validation and automatic update of datasets when opening a project or adding a dataset into a project.
  • All automatic updates are logged into a change log and stored with the dataset.
  • Added busy indicator while dataset validation is running.
• New flag color schema
  • To improve the readability of the QC results heatmap and distinguish different flags, a flag color schema was updated.
• Metadata editor
  • Removed “Instrument description” and “Test groups” columns in a Metadata editor to simplify the screen and improve readability. To modify test groups, use the “Edit test groups“ button in a Metadata editor.
  • GTI configuration is prefilled by default values and has more tooltips explaining each field.
• Importer
  • Improved parameter type detection now supports GTI parameter type
  • Improved prefilling of metadata from the import file. More fields and abbreviations are recognized and automatically prefilled during import.
  • Primary buttons are highlighted to help users navigate through the import process.
• Calculator
  • Predefined functions available in the calculator can also be used in an expression selector.
  • Sun azimuth function is renamed to sun aspect, so calculated values match the name.
• Metadata, importer, calculator
  • Parameter name, dataset name, and database name are limited to alpha-numeric characters, '_', and spaces.
  • Custom units are not supported anymore, a user has to pick one of the supported units by the system.
• Time reference check
  • Possibility to reorder new shifts in a descending order.
• PDF report
  • Possibility to turn off data availability in the quality control summary table. This is used for shorter datasets, to avoid insufficient quality state (red color).
  • Small improvement for better readability.
• New Combine datasets dialog
  • A new Combine dialog with better usability is now available. New dialog includes functionality from Join and Combine dialogs, all options in one place.
• Clone dataset
  • Clone dataset now supports clipping maintenance logs together with a dataset
• CSV export with full Solargis header
  • Added missing metadata into exported CSV file.
• Analyze, Time series, Compare improvement
  • Users can easily deselect all flags
• Removed popup informing about missing GTI config
  • Popup informing about missing GTI config is not shown anymore when a user opens a dialog window. Instead, a dataset with missing GTI config is highlighted in orange color on the main screen.

Updated datasets cannot be used in the older Solargis Analyst version

• New metadata format
  • We updated how metadata is stored in a dataset and a DB. An older dataset is automatically updated to a new format while it is opening for the first time. Opening an updated dataset to a newer Solargis Analyst version in an older Solargis Analyst version might result in errors or unexpected behavior.
  • The first application start, after installing Solargis Analyst version 1.4.5, might take longer because all datasets in the current project are validated and updated to a newer format. Next time a project is opened, datasets are only validated and no updates are needed.

Deprecated features and platforms

• MAC and Linux OS
  • We temporarily stopped supporting MAC and Linux operating systems, however, it is still possible to use Solargis Analyst in a Windows virtual machine on these operating systems.
• Windows 8 OS
  • As a reminder, Windows 8 has reached the end of support. Solargis Analyst running on Windows 8 will be still working, but Solargis will no longer provide technical support for any issue.

Minimum system requirements

• Minimum RAM capacity changed to 16 GB
  • Updated minimum system requirements for RAM capacity from 8 GB to 16 GB. Solargis Analyst works with big datasets and performs a large amount of calculations, therefore it is recommended to have at least 16 GB RAM available or more while using Solargis Analyst.

Known issues

• Timeout error
  • When Solargis Analyst is open for a long time, it is possible to get a timeout error while opening a screen or loading data. To fix it, refresh datasets on the main screen. This will be improved in future releases.

• The data delivery core now supports sub-hourly time zones, e.g., UTC+5:30 (+5.5). This functionality is now available across different delivery channels.

• We have harmonized the TMY candidate selection process for both 15-minute and 60-minute intervals, ensuring consistency and improved data quality across time frames.

Solargis has developed a blended dataset by combining ERA5-Land with ERA5 to improve the accuracy of temperature data.

The new dataset exhibits smoother daily temperature profiles and helps mitigate the issue of missing coastal data by effectively filling the gaps in coastal pixels.

The blended version is accessible in long-term averages (Solargis Prospect), TMY, and time-series data (Solargis Evaluate).

More information about this update is in this blog article.

PREC, WS, DNI, ALB parameters are now available in the LTA API. The list of all available parameters includes GHI, DIF, TEMP, RH, PWAT, DNI, ALB, WS, PREC, PR, GTI, PVOUT. 

TLEO - Lowest expected operating temperature (minimum design temperature) is added to Prospect app.

This parameter will be accessible for PROSPECT PRO/ENTERPRISE customers and free trial users.

Learn more about the importance of TLEO in our Blog.

Nowcast temporal coverage was extended for morning hours in the Americas and West Pacific. It is critical for intraday forecasts when in the morning hours an estimate for the current day is required.