Best Solar Design Software in Africa
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Compare the Top Solar Design Software in Africa as of June 2025
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What is Solar Design Software in Africa?
Solar design software, also known as photovoltaic (PV) design software, helps engineers, architects, and solar installers plan and optimize solar energy systems by modeling the placement and performance of solar panels. It uses geographic, weather, and shading data to simulate energy production and system efficiency under various conditions. The software assists in creating detailed layouts, calculating system size, and estimating costs and return on investment. By enabling accurate design and visualization, it reduces errors and speeds up project approval and installation processes. Ultimately, solar design software helps maximize energy yield, lower costs, and support sustainable energy goals. Compare and read user reviews of the best Solar Design software in Africa currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.
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1
PVcase
PVcase
PVcase Ground Mount is AutoCAD-based solar design software for utility-scale solar power plants. It enables solar engineers to reduce project costs, boost reliability and improve solar plant performance. Reduce project uncertainty and remove design errors with realistic, terrain-based PV layouts. CAPEX can make or break great solar designs. Get a clear breakdown of your project costs early on. Optimize your design and evaluate potential near-shading challenges. Own your electrical design by streamlining string mapping, device placement and cabling. Download and easily share cable runs, piling lengths, and other cost estimations with your team. Export your PV design in a bespoke format, co-designed with PVsyst. -
2
Pylon
Pylon
Create accurate proposals from anywhere in under 2 minutes using hi-res imagery, energy analysis and 3D shading tools in Pylon's intuitive design studio. Pylon is the only solar design software to give you high-resolution imagery in-app with no monthly fees. Identify dates of concern and track shading impact throughout the year using Pylon's award-winning 3D Solar Shading toolkit. Help your team better understand customer consumption patterns and maximize self-consumption using Pylon's load profile and interval data analysis. Analyze load profiles & interval data. Close more solar proposals with interactive Web & PDF proposals, native eSignatures and a payment processing gateway. Fully integrated solar CRM designed to integrate with your solar design software and convert proposals. Get 2-way SMS and email, communications with your team, lead management, and ready-made deal pipelines with Pylon Solar CRM.Starting Price: $4 per project -
3
Solargis
Solargis
Accurate estimation of solar energy potential is crucial in the pre-feasibility phase. Besides accurate results, it is also desired that the pre-feasibility study is done efficiently. Solargis prospecting tools, iMaps and pvPlanner, provide fast access to reliable solar yield estimates. The new Prospect tool further increases the accuracy of estimates and makes it easier to collaborate efficiently on the development of solar projects. Solargis data has the best accuracy and reliability amongst available solar databases. This has been confirmed by several independent studies. Solargis data has been validated at 1000+ locations globally. Validation statistics for 180+ non-confidential sites can be seen on our validation map. Popular simulation software such as PVsyst has advanced capabilities for system design and energy modeling. However, the default weather data in such tools is not the most reliable.Starting Price: €1,800 per year -
4
ENACT Solar Software
ENACT Systems
Our innovative platform speeds up sales and project execution, delivering high performing solar and energy storage systems. Features include: remote design using satellite images, proposals with detailed pricing and energy analytics, and seamless project management. Our app for end-customers is the first of it’s kind; the only platform that verifies predictive performance and savings. Features included solar and storage power-flows, utility bill savings, and performance analytics. Multiple workflows for team members and task assignment. Use high-resolution satellite images to create residential or commercial layouts. Close deals faster with beautiful and accurate proposals. Manage projects to rapid completion and impress customers.Starting Price: $199 per month -
5
Virto.CAD
Virto Solar
Virto.CAD is a powerful PV design plugin for AutoCAD and BricsCAD. It allows EPC, engineering firms and developers in the solar industry to crate detailed drawings and calculations for commercial rooftop and ground mounted projects. Virto.CAD is an all-in-one platform that optimizes your workflow and productivity. Using our software will save you more than 85% on engineering time and costs by automating module layouts, ballast calculations, bill of materials, irradiations simulations, yield simulations, string mapping, cable trays, trenches and routing management...Starting Price: 3.000$ - 4.500$ -
6
RETScreen
RETScreen International
The RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform enables low-carbon planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting. RETScreen Expert, an advanced premium version of the software, is available in Viewer mode completely free-of-charge. We collaborate with government and multilateral organizations to co-fund and develop advanced versions of the RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform. RETScreen Expert, the intelligent version of the software, incorporates benchmark, feasibility, performance and portfolio analysis for various types of facilities, including commercial, institutional, residential, industrial and power generation, all within one comprehensive platform. The focus of our innovation lab is to ensure that the RETScreen software is always at the leading edge of the clean energy technology transition, and that we continuously improve our platform to meet the complex needs of our large and rapidly growing global user community.Starting Price: $869 per year -
7
Solar Labs
The Solar Labs
Convert more customers with TSL enabled sales cycle. Create high performance PV layouts with ease. Save time and money with automation and remote analysis. Accurate 3D modeling portal, precise shading analysis, panel layout automation. Create accurate shapes using polygons. Simply create the structure with the polygon tool from the models. Dimension tool helps for precision measurement. Click and drag the polygons and tap on tab to enter the dimensions. Subarray properties with tilt and azimuth. Sub-arrays have a group of panels in that area and each sub-array can be edited individually for better rooftop adaptivity. Vary the mount height of the structure to suit your requirement. Drag and drop tables. Say it to add/delete or move the panels, it is easier in the solarlabs. Click the table and you can move to any location on the roof. Visually design the system by having their 3D view handy.Starting Price: $39 per month -
8
PVSketch
PVComplete
PVSketch is an intuitive web app designed to streamline solar project development. A friendly interface allows sales professionals easy access to a precision layout tool with little or no training. PVSketch helps visualize solar energy solutions and creates accurate energy modeling. PVSketch is part of the PVComplete platform. PVComplete allows solar developers, installers and engineers to work together on a single, versatile platform combining efficiency and accuracy. Sales professionals can begin a project quickly online with PVSketch and then transfer the project to PVCAD, our AutoCAD plugin, for a detailed engineering plan. PVSketch makes solar design simple. As little as five clicks and you can create a solar project packed with valuable information. Simple and instinctive drawing tools make accurate solar design accessible to any individual. While a single click can generate an entire layout if you dig deeper you can refine your solar design to create sophisticated designs.Starting Price: $50 per month -
9
SunDAT
SunDAT
Web-based PV design for utility-scale and commercial solar. Our innovative, patented system for determining layout optimizes Ground Coverage Ratio (GCR) and helps engineer enhanced yields on rough terrain. Handle complex boundaries and obstructions with ease. Automate workflows and increase the efficiency of your design process with SunDAT. This feature allows you to identify areas that are beyond a certain slope tolerance or flag areas within a solar array layout that need to be graded or avoided. You can also visualize heatmaps, export them to PVsyst, and perform pile length calculations. SunDAT enables you to export your project data in multiple formats like PDF, DXF and DAE. This allows your design to be imported to programs like AutoCAD and PVsyst for continued design and analysis. SunDAT Web software optimizes large-scale utility and commercial PV design. Whether you are designing a 150MW utility-scale ground mount or a 2 MW commercial rooftop solar system, SunDAT will do it.Starting Price: $2,000 per year -
10
Lyra Solar
Lyra Solar
Quickly and easily create permit-ready residential solar designs for free. Export ready-to-submit permit packages for as low as $49 in just a few minutes. Generate a ready-to-submit solar permit package at the click of a button. Every interaction is designed to be fast and simple. Lyra is so easy to use that any experienced solar professional can jump in without any training. Design just what you need for a permit, from a simple preliminary design to a down-to-the-component level permit-ready design. Generate a permit package from the design with the click of a button. Seriously, it's that easy. The Lyra solar design tool is free to use. All we need is your email address to get you set up and ready to knock out your first design. We work with solar design software companies to augment their offerings. If you lack permit packaging in your product offering, contact us to discuss how we can work together.Starting Price: $49 one-time payment -
11
HelioScope
Folsom Labs
A web-based sales and design tool for solar professionals with the power to completely reshape your proposal generation process. From its robust 3D design engine and bankable energy yield simulator to its detailed financial calculator and drag-and-drop proposal editor; HelioScope makes responding to customer requests fast, easy, and bankable. We provide 3D design, rapid proposals, bankable simulations, unlimited designs, live support, single line diagrams, automatic cad export, one-click sharing, up to 5mw systems, 45,000 component library and global weather coverage and pan file support.Starting Price: $79 per month -
12
PV*SOL
PV*SOL
PV*SOL offers the most detailed configuration and shade analysis for PV systems. Calculate solar output, panel sizing and economic forecasting for your system. Make better design decisions based on intelligent simulation models of your pv solar system. Help clients and partners understand the specifics of their solar installation with appealing professional reports. Incorporate financial incentives and complex tariff structures resulting in better financial planning. Get the best results with our flagship product using 3D technology for precise and realistic PV system design. Our industry-leading software is the ideal tool for fast and reliable PV system design. Get a sneak-peek into our solar calculation and PV power output software with the free online version of PV*SOL.Starting Price: €895 one-time payment -
13
Web Solar Cloud
Web Solar Cloud
Web Solar Cloud is easy-to-use tool for designing solar projects online. It helps you create professional solar designs quickly, even if you're new to solar design. Software will generate a solar permit package that includes detailed solar panel layouts, electrical diagrams, structural engineering reports, and any other documentation specific to your local permitting requirements. Shading and production analysis evaluates a building's shading and energy production performance. With our tool, you can easily design and calculate electrical components, wiring, and loads for your project. Whether you're planning a small residential project or a large commercial one, our tool provides you with the necessary features and capabilities to ensure accurate and efficient electrical design. Our solar design software is equipped with an advanced Single Line Diagram feature, designed to simplify the visualization of your solar system.Starting Price: $20 per month -
14
ARKA 360
ARKA 360
We made this end-to-end solar platform after speaking to hundreds of solar installers to make sure our software adapts to your workflow and improves that, and we're not something you have to massively change the way you work to use our software effectively. Take your business digital, reduce human errors, save on costs, and serve your customers better. From capturing leads to filling in site survey information and a lot more solar features, this is not the average CRM. Design & CRM in one software made especially for salespeople to design by themselves. Salespeople can do just about everything helped by AI and the easy-to-use design features. Send prospects a beautiful proposal with accurate design, solar and battery energy analysis, and financials within minutes. ARKA 360’s powerful design studio is made for technical salespeople and engineers with full 3D design, modeling to the inch, and advanced 3D analysis.Starting Price: $ 1,699 per year -
15
Solarius PV
ACCA Software
Solarius PV takes into account solar shading caused by the presence of long-distance obstacles (mountains, hills, buildings, trees, etc) through a simple photographic survey and directly on the installation site's solar diagram. Solarius PV also allows you to check the effect of shading projected on PV modules by nearby obstacles (chimneys, walls, antennas, etc) on the system layout as the solar path varies over an annual, monthly, daily or hourly periods. Manage shadow projection between parallel rows automatically calculating the minimum module row spacing on any surface type (horizontal, vertical or tilted).Starting Price: $ 8.24 per month -
16
RatedPower
Enverus
RatedPower, part of Enverus, is an all-in-one software for designing utility-scale solar, BESS, and hybrid systems. It supports the full development cycle—from site selection to detailed engineering—enabling project developers, engineers, and analysts to work faster and more accurately. Users can assess land, locate optimal interconnection points, and design layouts using topographic and geospatial data. RatedPower also provides energy yield estimates, SLDs, and Gen-Tie reports that align with global standards. For BESS, it allows standalone or hybrid integration and helps evaluate feasibility through capacity optimization. Collaboration is easy thanks to exportable reports and layouts compatible with industry tools like PVsyst. With RatedPower, teams streamline project development while boosting accuracy and collaboration. -
17
PVCAD
PVComplete
For solar designers who want the highest standard of precision and accuracy. PVCAD delivers unparalleled efficiency so you can finalize designs and quote jobs faster. Selecting design criteria from PVCAD’s integrated databases not only saves time but reduces the risk of costly errors and omissions. We are constantly growing our database of thousands of different inverters, modules, and racking partners. Users can also add their own equipment using the database button in the PVCAD ribbon. Would you like to have your equipment added to our database? PVCAD uses production modeling powered by PVWATTS created by NREL. Accurate 8760 data gives hour-by-hour production data over the course of the entire year. We use the most up-to-date weather data available with global coverage provided by Meteonorm. Lastly, modeling in AutoCAD allows for the most precise system measurements available with any drafting software. With valuable resources at arm’s reach, designers can achieve expert results.Starting Price: $180 per month -
18
SolarEdge Designer
SolarEdge
SolarEdge Designer is a free web-based platform that helps solar professionals like yourself lower PV design costs and generate winning customer proposals. plan, build and validate your SolarEdge residential and commercial systems from inception to installation with this powerful selling tool that can help you close more deals. Streamlined design process featuring many automatic procedures such as stringing, instant design validation, multiple obstacle detection and bulk Power Optimizer barcode mapping. Seamless export of the site layout to the SolarEdge Monitoring Platform. Offer compelling customer proposals with comprehensive reports and accurate energy simulations, independently evaluated by DNV GL. Leverage detailed financial analysis capabilities to accurately forecast system owners’ electricity bill savings and ROI. Impress your customers with a visually attractive 3D simulation of their site. -
19
PVCAD Mega
PVComplete
Quickly complete site capacity layouts for utility-scale projects of any size using click-and-drag control and place tracker blocks at any angle within the project site. Perform more accurate site assessments in less time by analyzing all piers, verifying that trackers can be deployed to specification. Eliminate guesswork and see how modifying structural and electrical components affect system design and performance estimates. Generate automatic pier plans with pier locations, corresponding surface altitude, and top-of-pile reports for leading tracker systems, including Nextracker and Array Technologies. Automatically generate a PVSyst shade scene (.SHD) file. Also generates a project file (.PRJ) and meteo file (.MET). Open the files in PVSyst to model the energy yield including topography effects. Easily export your design to PVSyst for bankable energy yield modelling.Starting Price: $295 per month -
20
Solargraf
Solargraf
Create detailed roles & permissions for everyone on your staff. From account owner to sales and even accounting, give everyone on your team custom access to the portions of the software they need and nothing they don’t. View all of your active projects whether new, in progress, or closed on a handy dashboard. Make sure nothing falls through the cracks with a live, bird’s eye view of everything happening in your account. Customize your proposals with your company color scheme, reorder or remove proposal sections, and add your logo and cover image to give your quotes a personal flair. Use our good, better, best feature to offer multiple product and pricing options to your clients on a single proposal for them to e-sign on the quote they like best. Get everything you need to apply for your permits and engage the homeowner like never before remotely by using our virtual site assessment feature.Starting Price: $229 per month -
21
Sighten
Sighten
Sighten exists to support the people selling, financing, and installing solar every day. That’s why we love hearing about our customers growing faster or operating more efficiently because of Sighten design, proposal, and sales software. Grow your channel with the only solar software that has a dedicated solution for channel managers and multi-state teams. You’ll be able to see your entire deal pipeline in the same place and easily communicate with partners. Trying to operate without good software will leave you disorganized and will ultimately limit your reach and revenue. You’ll face obstacles with deal visibility, partner communication, and introducing financing to your channel unless you have a seamless platform.Starting Price: $199 per month -
22
Solar Pro
Laplace Systems
Simulation including the shadow influence by surrounding buildings and objects allows users to check optimal settings and module designs before system installation. The software calculates the I-V curve of solar modules accurately and quickly based on the electric characteristics of each manufacturer's product. The software calculates the amount of generated electricity based on the latitudes, longitudes, and weather conditions of the installation site. This leads to precise simulation results. The software determines the necessary components for installing PV system automatically based on the settings. Supports power generation simulation using half-cell modules. In addition, half-cell solar cells can be registered in the solar cell module database. -
23
GeoT*SOL
Valentin Software
With GeoT*SOL you can simulate the heat pump system to the minute in order to determine annual performance figures (COP) and contribution margins. The systems can have other heat generators such as gas condensing boilers and solar systems. Movovalent, monoenergetic and bivalent modes of operation can be selected for operation. The annual performance factor according to VDI 4650 is an important factor for comparing plants according to their efficiency. It forms the basis for many funding measures and approval procedures. GeoT*SOL calculates the profitability according to the recommendation of the Federal Association of the Solar Industry (BSW) taking into account the funding: comparison of the costs of the heat pump system with a comparison system; capital value and production costs (heat price); modified internal rate of return (MIRR), profit taking into account the reinvestment. -
24
SolarDesignTool
SolarDesignTool
Create a preliminary design by specifying the module and inverter configuration and the layout. Upgrade the design to a permit-ready design by completing a quick 4-step wizard. Define the installation site using aerial imagery or an imported 3D model from EagleView or RoofOrders. With SolarDesignTool, you can create a PV system design and generate a solar permit package in as little as 15 minutes. A permit package includes the following pages: project summary, site plan, single-line diagram, PV safety labels, attachment plan(s), attachment details for supported racking systems, fire safety plan, equipment datasheets, and certifications. After completing a PV system design, generating a solar permit package is as simple as clicking a single button. A PV permit package for a typical residential sloped rooftop using a popular racking system will include all of the pages listed above.Starting Price: $50 per user per month -
25
Virto.MAX
Virto.solar
We wish to stimulate the transition to clean and green energy. Therefore we want to provide user-friendly PV design software solutions to solar installers, engineers, wholesalers and manufacturers. This way they can create solar parks and projects both fast and efficiently. With this purpose in mind we develop highly advanced and accurate software tools. Furthermore, we believe it is important that our software can be incorporated quickly. It is our goal to create an ecosystem for engineers in the PV industry. Our PV design software speeds up the engineering process of solar PV projects by automating repetitive tasks. For instance, our software automatically generates 3D models. This means there’s no need to draw 3D models yourself and lose precious time. As a result, you’ll achieve fast and accurate drawings for preliminary designs of a construction site. Our Story: Kim Eyckmans started his engineering career at one of the top solar EPC companies in the BENELUX. -
26
PV-DesignPro
Maui Solar Energy Software
Standalone Photovoltaic system design and analysis tool. Hourly simulation, uses hourly climate files (239 U.S. locations included). Sandia Labs PV Model. Enhanced version of PV-DesignPro-S developed in cooperation with Sandia National Labs Photovoltaic Systems Department. PV-DesignPro v6.0 is a suite of Windows 95, 98, NT, Win2000, and Vista compatible software designed to simulate photovoltaic energy system operation on an hourly basis for one year, based on a user-selected climate and system design. Three versions of the PV-DesignPro program are included on the Solar Design Studio CD-ROM: "PV-DesignPro-S" for standalone systems with battery storage, "PV-DesignPro-G" for grid-connected systems with no battery storage, and "PV-DesignPro-P" for water pumping systems. Below is a screenshot of the "S" version of PV-DesignPro. The purpose of the programs are to aid in photovoltaic system design by providing accurate and in-depth information on likely system power output. -
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HOMER Energy
HOMER Energy
All HOMER software is built on the trusted, market-leading HOMER platform, used by more than 250,000 system designers and developers in over 190 countries. With decades of experience, we provide the most robust, accurate solutions to help make hybrid power systems technically optimal and maximally cost-effective. Explore which product is most suited for your project, or further understand our approach to techno-economic analysis. Watch the video, download the white paper, or talk to an expert to explore how UL advisory professionals can help. If you need help with your modeling and analysis, or need training in HOMER software, we are here to help. We offer a full range of support services to ensure your success. UL advisory services enable you to leverage our long-standing expertise in renewable energy and qualifications as independent engineers. We offer full project support from feasibility studies, to design and certification. -
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PV Designer
Solmetric
PV Designer software is ideal for residential and small commercial systems. It enables you to quickly and easily: draw a roof outline, specify set-backs and keep-out regions, incorporate SunEye shade measurements at specific locations on the roof, drag-and-drop modules, size strings, check inverter limits, and calculate the AC energy production for your system. It includes extensive worldwide databases of modules, inverters, and historical weather. You can easily try different design scenarios and compare their AC kW-hr outputs side-by-side to identify the best design. PV Designer is the design tool of choice for designing systems of around 15 kW or less, however larger systems up to 100kW can also be designed in PV Designer. The software is easy to learn and easy to use, yet enables detailed analysis traditionally only available in complicated engineering tools. -
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Scanifly
Scanifly
98% of solar professionals conduct a technical onsite survey before construction; over 50% do so before closing a sale. With current methods, solar companies still spend hours using ladders and hand-measuring rooftops, which slows down pipelines, hurts accuracy, and increases safety risks. Scanifly’s solar design software uses drone technology and 3D modeling tools to eliminate roof climbs, decrease onsite time by up to 90%, and increase design accuracy to avoid redesigns, change orders, or delays on install day. Ladders, tape measures, handwritten notes, and handheld shading equipment can lead to inaccuracies, errors, and guesswork. Drones and 3D modeling software streamline the process while improving time, safety, and design accuracy. Take pictures with your drone (JPEGs) to digitize the project's characteristics. Automatically create to-scale 3D models of proposed sites. -
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PVsyst
PVsyst
PVsyst is designed to be used by architects, engineers, and researchers. It is also a very useful educative tool. It includes a detailed contextual Help menu that explains the procedures and models that are used, and offers a user-friendly approach with a guide to develop a project. PVsyst is able to import meteo data, as well as personal data from many different sources. For the inverter sizing: the second graph displays the annual distribution of the array power, with the array and inverter nominal power. Storage in a grid system is a complex feature, as it may have different objectives, which lead to different strategies and different PV system configurations.