What Is PV*SOL Premium?
PV*SOL Premium is a professional photovoltaic system design and simulation software developed by Valentin Software GmbH (Berlin, Germany). It is the flagship product of Valentin Software — a company that has been developing solar energy design tools since 1988 — and is widely regarded as the industry standard for residential and commercial PV system simulation in Europe and internationally.
PV*SOL Premium 2026 is the current release, introduced in November 2025. It brings a new customer presentation generator, expanded PV + thermal + battery combination modeling, individual per-consumer electricity tariffs, Meteonorm 9 climate data integration, and JSON export capability.
The software is used by solar system designers, EPCs, installers, roofers, architects, and energy consultants for:
- Accurate yield forecasting for PV systems of any size
- 3D shading analysis on complex roof geometries
- Battery storage sizing and self-consumption optimization
- EV charging integration modeling
- Heat pump + solar system design
- Professional bankable project reports for clients and financing
Key database statistics (2026):
- 30,000+ PV modules
- 8,500+ inverters
- 12,500+ battery systems
- 1,600+ electric vehicles
- All manufacturer-maintained and regularly updated
PVSOL vs. PVSOL Premium — What’s the Difference?
Valentin Software offers two versions:
PV*SOL (standard) — 2D shading analysis, full simulation engine, all battery/EV/heat pump features. No 3D modeling. The free 30-day trial download provides only PV*SOL (2D shading).
PV*SOL Premium — everything in PVSOL plus full 3D visualization and detailed 3D shading analysis. This is the version used for accurate shading simulation on complex sites with multiple roof planes, nearby trees, buildings, chimneys, and other obstructions. PVSOL Premium is the version covered throughout this guide.
For most professional applications — especially rooftop residential and commercial systems where shading is a real factor — PV*SOL Premium is the appropriate choice.
What’s New in PV*SOL Premium 2026
Customer Presentation Generator (New)
The headline feature of the 2026 release. After completing system planning, users can now generate a visually polished customer presentation in PDF and DOCX format with a single click. This compact overview of the most important project data and simulation results is designed for quotations, sales consultations, and customer approval workflows — bridging the gap between the technical simulation report and a client-facing document.
Flexible PV + Thermal + Battery Combinations (Expanded)
Heat pumps and immersion heaters can now be connected to both AC-coupled and DC-coupled battery systems — enabling more realistic modeling of complex self-sufficiency installations. This is particularly relevant for European residential retrofits where heat pumps are being added to existing PV + battery systems.
Individual Electricity Tariffs per Consumer
Each consumer in the system (household loads, EV, heat pump) can now be assigned its own electricity tariff. Each consumer automatically gets its own meter in the circuit schematic, and consumer-specific tariffs are integrated into the economic analysis — producing more accurate profitability calculations for complex tariff structures.
Meteonorm 9 Climate Data
Climate data has been updated to Meteonorm 9, providing a revised data basis with faster loading times. Meteonorm is the global standard for TMY (Typical Meteorological Year) climate data used in solar simulation.
JSON Export
Simulation results and project data can now be exported in JSON format for integration with external CRM, ERP, and analytics platforms — streamlining professional workflows where simulation outputs feed into larger business systems.
New Load Profiles
Additional preconfigured load profiles for air conditioning, home office setups, and senior households — reflecting evolving consumption patterns relevant to modern residential solar design.
Core Features
3D Visualization and Shading Analysis
PV*SOL Premium’s 3D engine is one of its most important differentiators. The workflow:
- Import or create the building model — import from 3D CAD tools or build the roof geometry manually with parametric shapes
- Position PV modules — place modules on roof surfaces with automatic inter-row spacing and tilt angle
- Add shading objects — chimneys, vents, satellite dishes, trees, neighboring buildings, thermal collectors, dormer windows, facade elements
- Run shading simulation — PV*SOL Premium calculates the shading impact on each individual module at every hour of the year (8,760-hour hourly simulation)
- View results — shading loss percentage, annual yield reduction, and module-by-module shading maps
The 3D shading simulation uses a dual approach: the system is simulated both with and without shading, reporting the precise yield reduction percentage attributable to shading. This quantification is essential for both system optimization (repositioning modules to minimize shading) and for accurate yield reports.
Up to 10,000 roof-parallel modules can be visualized in the 3D view.
Battery Storage Simulation
PV*SOL Premium has one of the most sophisticated battery storage modeling engines available in commercial solar software:
- 12,500+ battery products in the database — from residential lithium-ion systems to commercial-scale storage
- Model any combination of AC-coupled and DC-coupled storage
- Self-consumption optimization — calculate what percentage of solar generation is consumed on-site vs. exported
- Time-of-use tariff modeling — optimize battery charge/discharge scheduling against time-varying electricity prices
- Battery degradation modeling over the system lifetime
- Backup power analysis for grid outage scenarios
Electric Vehicle (EV) Integration
PV*SOL Premium supports 1,600+ electric vehicle models in its database. Modeling options include:
- Smart charging — charge EV preferentially from solar surplus
- Bidirectional charging (V2H/V2G) — vehicle-to-home or vehicle-to-grid discharge capability
- Configurable charging schedules (arrival/departure times, minimum charge levels)
- Combined self-consumption calculation for PV → battery → EV → household
This combined modeling is increasingly important as home energy management systems (HEMS) coordinating PV, battery, and EV become standard in residential installations.
Heat Pump Integration
PV*SOL Premium is the only major solar simulation software validated by Fraunhofer ISE (Germany’s leading solar research institute) for combined PV + heat pump simulation. Features:
- Model air-water heat pumps in combination with PV generation
- Simple heat pump model or detailed hourly simulation
- Heating rod / immersion heater integration for direct solar thermal support
- Combined with battery storage: heat pumps and immersion heaters connectable to both AC and DC-coupled batteries (2026 new feature)
- Self-sufficiency calculation accounting for heat demand alongside electrical loads
Fraunhofer ISE research has validated PV*SOL’s heat pump integration modeling, showing 42.9% self-consumption rates in integrated systems — a figure used in German energy policy research.
Component Databases
PV*SOL Premium connects to Valentin Software’s online manufacturer-maintained databases:
| Database | Count (2026) |
|---|---|
| PV modules | 30,000+ |
| Inverters | 8,500+ |
| Battery systems | 12,500+ |
| Electric vehicles | 1,600+ |
| Performance optimizers | Included |
| Thermal collectors | Included |
Manufacturers update their product data directly in the online database, ensuring specifications are current. Users can also add custom products not yet in the database.
Climate Data Sources
Multiple climate data sources can be selected and cross-validated:
- Meteonorm 9 — global standard TMY dataset, updated in 2026 release with faster loading
- PVGIS — EU-maintained satellite-derived irradiance data (free)
- NASA-SSE — NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy dataset
- NREL Meteosat — added in 2025 release as high-quality alternative
- Solcast — satellite-derived high-resolution data (subscription)
- Custom TMY data — import locally measured data
The ability to compare multiple climate data sources for the same location helps identify data quality issues and improves confidence in yield estimates.
Simulation Resolution
- Standard: Hourly simulation (8,760 time steps per year)
- High resolution: 1-minute simulation for detailed battery operation modeling, self-consumption calculation, and EV charging optimization
- Configurable CSV export (2025+): select specific data series and time resolution for export — 1, 10, 15, or 30-minute resolution — eliminating manual post-processing in Excel
Circuit Diagrams
PV*SOL Premium automatically generates configurable circuit diagrams for the complete system:
- String layout with cable routing
- DC and AC cable loss calculation
- Safety devices: fuses, switch disconnectors, DC isolators, surge protection (SPD)
- SolarEdge optimizer and inverter auto-configuration suggestions
- Multi-inverter systems with flexible string assignment
- Circuit diagrams exportable as PDF for installer documentation
Economic Analysis and Reporting
- Profitability metrics: Payback period, IRR, NPV, LCOE
- Energy balance: Detailed gain/loss breakdown including irradiance, temperature, shading, wiring, and inverter losses
- Sankey diagram (2025+): Visual representation of all energy flows from solar radiation to grid feed-in
- Carpetplots: Annual overview of hourly simulation results — immediately shows seasonal patterns and anomalies
- U-I and U-P characteristics: Per-timestep current-voltage curves when needed for detailed analysis
- Reports in 24 languages: Generate client reports in the local language — critical for international installers
- Custom branding: Add company logo and select report content
- Export formats: PDF, Word (DOCX), CSV, JSON (2026)
PV*SOL Premium vs. Competing Solar Simulation Software
| Feature | PV*SOL Premium 2026 | PVsyst 8 | Aurora Solar | HelioScope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows desktop | Windows desktop | Web-based | Web-based |
| 3D shading analysis | ✅ Full 3D | ✅ Full 3D | ✅ Satellite-based | ✅ |
| Battery storage modeling | ✅ Best-in-class | ✅ Improved v8 | Limited | Limited |
| EV charging integration | ✅ 1,600+ EVs | ❌ | Limited | ❌ |
| Heat pump modeling | ✅ Fraunhofer validated | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Meteonorm 9 data | ✅ | ✅ | Limited | ✅ |
| 8,760-hour simulation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customer presentation (new 2026) | ✅ PDF/DOCX | ❌ | ✅ Proposals | ✅ Proposals |
| Circuit diagrams | ✅ Auto-generated | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Product database size | 30,000+ modules | Large | Large | Large |
| JSON export | ✅ 2026 | ❌ | ✅ API | ✅ API |
| Sankey diagram | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Bankable report quality | ✅ | ✅ Industry standard | Limited | Limited |
| Mac/Linux support | ❌ Windows only | ❌ Windows only | ✅ Web | ✅ Web |
| Annual license price | ~€845/year | ~$1,800–2,400/year | Higher | Higher |
| Perpetual license | ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ❌ SaaS only | ❌ SaaS only |
Choose PV*SOL Premium when: You design residential or small commercial systems with battery storage, EV charging, and/or heat pump integration — especially in Europe where these combined systems are standard. The combination of accurate hybrid system modeling, 3D shading, and competitive pricing makes it the top choice for this application. Also preferred when a perpetual license (no annual fees) is important.
Choose PVsyst when: Your work is primarily utility-scale ground-mount projects where bankable energy yield reports for project financing are needed and PVsyst’s industry-recognition with international lenders is essential. PVsyst is the reference standard for large-scale project finance.
Choose Aurora Solar or HelioScope when: Your team is cloud-based, needs collaborative access from multiple devices including Mac, or requires integrated proposal generation and CRM features alongside the technical simulation. Both platforms sacrifice some technical depth for workflow convenience.
Licensing Options
PV*SOL Premium is available from Valentin Software with two license structures:
Annual Named-User License
- ~€845/year (PV*SOL Premium 2026)
- Named-user: tied to a specific person, not a machine
- Includes all software updates during the license year
- Full technical support from Valentin Software’s Berlin-based team
- Recommended for professionals using the software regularly
Perpetual License
- One-time purchase — no annual fees after the initial year
- First year includes updates and support
- Subsequent years: optional annual maintenance for updates and support
- Best for organizations that prefer predictable costs and don’t require the newest features immediately
Free 30-Day Trial
A fully functional 30-day trial is available — note that the trial download provides PV*SOL (2D shading only), not PV*SOL Premium (3D). The 3D premium features require purchasing or requesting a separate Premium trial.
System Requirements
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 | Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 5 GB free | SSD with 20+ GB |
| GPU | DirectX 11 | Dedicated GPU for large 3D models |
| Display | 1366 × 768 | 1920 × 1080 |
| Internet | Required for database access | Stable connection recommended |
Important: PV*SOL Premium is Windows-only. There is no macOS or Linux native version. Mac users must use Windows virtualization (Parallels, VMware Fusion) or Boot Camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between PVSOL and PVSOL Premium? PVSOL (standard) includes 2D shading analysis and all simulation features. PVSOL Premium adds full 3D visualization and detailed 3D shading analysis. For most professional applications where shading matters, PV*SOL Premium is the appropriate choice.
Does PV*SOL Premium support bifacial modules? Yes. PV*SOL Premium includes bifacial module simulation with configurable ground albedo, mounting height, and bifaciality factor for calculating rear-side irradiance contribution.
Can PV*SOL Premium simulate off-grid systems? Yes. PV*SOL Premium models standalone off-grid PV systems with battery storage, diesel generator backup, and various load configurations — not just grid-connected systems.
How does PV*SOL Premium handle string inverter vs. microinverter vs. optimizer systems? PV*SOL Premium models all three architectures. For SolarEdge optimizer systems, automatic interconnection suggestions are available. Microinverter systems can be configured module-by-module. Module-level shading impact on different architectures can be compared.
Is PV*SOL Premium suitable for utility-scale projects? PVSOL Premium can model larger ground-mount systems, but its 3D tools are optimized for rooftop residential and commercial applications. For large utility-scale projects requiring bankable reports that international lenders specifically require to come from PVsyst, PVsyst remains the industry standard. PVSOL Premium is stronger for the residential/commercial segment.
Does the license include updates? Annual licenses include all updates released during the license year. Perpetual licenses include updates for the first year; subsequent updates require an active maintenance subscription.
Summary
PV*SOL Premium 2026 is the most technically comprehensive solar simulation tool for residential and commercial PV systems with integrated battery storage, EV charging, and heat pump systems. Its Fraunhofer ISE-validated hybrid system modeling, 8,760-hour simulation engine, 30,000+ product database, 3D shading analysis, and competitive pricing (€845/year vs. PVsyst at $1,800–2,400/year) make it the preferred tool for European solar professionals designing complex self-sufficiency installations.
The 2026 release adds a professional customer presentation generator — closing a significant gap vs. more sales-oriented tools like Aurora Solar and HelioScope that have always offered client-facing output alongside technical simulation.
For licensing assistance or questions about PV*SOL Premium, contact our team via Telegram: t.me/DoCrackMe
Related articles: PV*SOL Premium vs PVsyst — Which for Your Solar Project? | PV*SOL Premium Battery Storage Sizing Tutorial | PV*SOL Premium + PVcase — The Complete Utility-Scale Workflow
