I would like to model a roof-mounted PV system that uses thin-film modules mounted directly on the roof. Can SAM do this?
Yes and no. SAM’s Sandia PV module library includes several thin film modules. In the Sandia library, you can identify the modules either by the manufacturer name and model, or by the symbol in parentheses after the module name. For example, Uni-Solar’s PV shingles are amorphous silicon modules, which you can see from the module name in SAM: Uni-Solar PVL-68(a-Si). However, the current version of SAM assumes that modules are rack-mounted with space under the module that allows air to flow. We do plan to add the capability to model different mounting options in a future version.
