The solar industry isn’t just growing—it’s accelerating at record speed. According to a 2025 analysis, global solar PV installations surged by 64% year-on-year in just the first half of 2025. But rapid expansion brings challenges. Many installers still lose hours each week on manual measurements, shading assumptions, layout revisions, and back-and-forth between sales and engineering. This is where choosing the right PV design software becomes crucial.
Modern PV design software should automate calculations, analyze shading, ensure electrical correctness, generate performance estimates, and streamline handoffs to engineering and permitting teams. When your software is efficient, your entire solar workflow becomes efficient.
So in this blog, we break down the 7 must-have features every installer should look for in a PV design software—so you can design faster, eliminate revisions, and close more deals with confidence.
1. Accurate 3D Roof & Site Modeling
Today’s homes and commercial buildings often include complex roof shapes, multiple levels, and obstructions that can dramatically affect the final system layout and production. Simple 2D sketches or flat imagery can’t capture these details accurately enough for fast, error-free design work, that’s why an efficient PV design software is needed.
With precise 3D roof and site modeling, installers can visualize real-world conditions including roof pitch, azimuth, tilt variations, setbacks, shading objects, parapets, vents, and more. This level of detail eliminates guesswork and reduces revisions during engineering review—saving hours across the design-to-permit workflow.
Accurate 3D modeling also ensures that usable roof area is calculated correctly, helping installers maximize module placement while maintaining compliance and fire pathways. For fast-growing teams, it becomes a critical feature that improves accuracy, prevents on-site surprises, and enhances customer confidence.
2. Advanced Shading & Irradiance Analysis
Shading is one of the biggest factors that impacts a solar system’s true performance, which makes advanced shading tools essential in any reliable pv design software. Even minor obstructions—like a chimney, nearby tree, or a parapet wall—can significantly reduce energy yield if they aren’t properly accounted for during the design stage.
High-quality shading analysis simulates the sun’s path across every hour, month, and season of the year. This provides installers with accurate insight into how much sunlight each module will receive and how shading patterns shift throughout the day. The result is a performance prediction that customers can trust and installers can confidently stand behind.
With precise irradiance data, teams can fine-tune module placement, optimize stringing, and avoid unrealistic production promises.
3. Auto Layout & Module Placement Optimization
One of the biggest time-savers for any design team is automated module placement. A strong pv design software should intelligently place modules based on roof dimensions, pitch, azimuth, setbacks, and local fire-code requirements—without relying on manual drag-and-drop.
Auto layout solar design tools analyze the roof geometry in real time and determine the most efficient arrangement of panels. This helps installers maximize usable roof space, avoid obstruction zones, maintain required pathways, and ensure that every array fits within code-compliant boundaries.
Smart optimization also reduces the risk of under-utilizing available area or misaligning modules, both of which can trigger redesigns during engineering review. The result is a faster, cleaner drafting process that increases design output and consistency, especially for teams handling high-volume residential or commercial projects.
4. Integrated Electrical Design & Stringing Tools
Accurate electrical design is critical to system performance and safety, and modern pv design software should integrate automated stringing, inverter sizing, and electrical layout checks. Manual calculations are prone to errors that can lead to costly rework or even safety issues on site.
Integrated electrical tools automatically assign strings to inverters, calculate voltage and current limits, and highlight potential compatibility issues with selected components. They also ensure designs comply with NEC and local electrical codes, reducing the chance of failed inspections or revisions during permitting.
This feature streamlines the workflow from design to execution, that is why we at WattMonk use Zippy. Our teams spend less time manually verifying string configurations and more time focusing on overall project planning, improving efficiency, reducing errors, and ensuring every system operates safely and reliably, all thanks to Zippy.
5. Performance Simulation & Energy Yield Reports
Accurate energy predictions are essential for designing systems that meet client expectations. A robust pv design software should provide detailed performance simulation and energy yield reports, taking into account shading, module orientation, tilt, and site-specific irradiance data.
These simulations allow installers to forecast monthly and annual energy output, identify potential production losses, and fine-tune system layout before construction. With reliable yield projections, teams can create data-driven proposals, helping customers understand ROI, savings, and system efficiency.
6. Automatic Bill of Materials (BOM) Generation
Managing material lists manually can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially on larger solar projects. Effective pv design software should automatically generate a Bill of Materials (BOM) as soon as the system layout is complete.
An auto-generated BOM calculates the exact number of panels, inverters, mounting hardware, cables, and other components required, ensuring accuracy and consistency. Any changes to the layout or module count are reflected immediately in the BOM, saving installers from tedious recalculations and reducing procurement mistakes.
This feature accelerates project planning, helps maintain budgets, and improves workflow coordination between design, procurement, and field teams. It ensures that materials arrive on-site as needed, minimizing delays and keeping projects on schedule.
7. Easy Export to Plan Sets, Proposals, & Permit Packages
Creating professional documentation is a critical step in any solar project, and top-tier pv design software makes it seamless. The ability to export detailed plan sets, proposals, and permit packages directly from the software saves installers hours of manual formatting and reduces the risk of errors.
Export features like the one offered by Zippy, typically support PDF, CAD, and other industry-standard formats, ensuring compatibility with engineering, permitting, and client-facing workflows. This enables teams to quickly submit accurate documents for approvals, financing, and construction, all without leaving the design environment. Fast, accurate exports improve collaboration, reduce delays, and help maintain consistent professional standards across every project.
Parting Thought
Choosing the right pv design software goes beyond picking a tool—it shapes the efficiency and accuracy of every solar project. Features like 3D roof modeling, shading analysis, automated layouts, electrical stringing, performance simulations, BOM generation, and seamless exports save time, reduce errors, and streamline workflows.
For installers, this means faster approvals, more reliable system performance, and smoother project execution. When combined with WattMonk’s expert design, engineering, and permitting support, your team can deliver high-quality solar installations confidently, scale operations effectively, and ensure every project meets client expectations on time, every time.
