AutoCAD for PV Systems Design

Course Syllabus 1. Description This course prepares the student to make drawings in AutoCAD that document the design of a photovoltaic power system. If you want to learn how to produce inspector-ready drawings in AutoCAD, this is your course! We will start with hand drawings and specifications for a solar power system. We will create AutoCAD drawings based on this information. We will also see how to link Excel spreadsheets with AutoCAD. 2. Background It is helpful if you are familiar with basic mathematics and electricity. It will also be helpful if you are familiar with the following: the components of a PV power system and their function how electric circuits work, series & parallel connection how power, voltage and current are related in a circuit basic computer functions and software (mouse, menus, etc.) Cartesian coordinate systems (X,Y)

3. Organization The emphasis will be on hands-on activities throughout. We will begin drawing a PV system in AutoCAD together on the first day. Each day we will build on what weve learned, working toward a more complete design by the end of the course. 4. Course Objectives At the completion of the course, you will be able to: Draw & edit basic CAD entities such as lines, rectangles & circles. Prepare a site plan in CAD using measurements gathered during site evaluation. Draw a proposed layout of PV modules, taking roof slope into account. Organize and manage complex CAD drawings using grouping and layers. Create a single line electrical diagram for a typical PV power system. Create an Excel spreadsheet and link it to AutoCAD. Create a mechanical diagram showing racks and/or footings. Label (annotate) a CAD drawing and prepare it for publication

Day 1
Module 1 Introduction and Review of Photovoltaic Systems 1) Why CAD? a) Example Drawings b) Workflow c) Site Plan Drawings d) Electrical Diagrams e) Mechanical Digrams 2) Solar Energy Basics (review using examples above for reference) a) DC & AC current, voltage & power b) Series & Parallel Circuits Module 2 Fundamentals of AutoCAD 1) Drawing a Site Plan a) Drawing a Property Line (Line Segments, Rectangle) b) Drawing the Roof Outline c) Drawing a Tree (circle) 2) Drawing a PV Module Array a) Creating a New Layer for PV b) Draw a single module c) Group the module d) Copy & Paste to Create the Array Project 1: Creating a Site Plan Instructions: Make a copy of your drawing from class, or add this drawing in the same file. Youll need the settings from class. Start with the first point entered by hand, anywhere on the drawing. Enter the remaining points/lines in relative coordinates, using @.

Day 2
Module 3 Electrical Diagrams 1) Review of Circuits a) Voltage, Current & Power b) Series & Parallel 2) Drawing a Single Line Diagram a) PV Array b) Combiner Box c) DC Disconnect d) Inverter e) AC Disconnect f) Panel Connection g) Service Connection Project 2: Create a Three Line Diagram Instructions: You can start with your single line drawing. Change it as appropriate to match the example in the handout. Module 4 Excel & AutoCAD 1) Basic Excel functions 2) Spreadsheet for Solar a) Customer Info b) Module Info c) Inverter Info d) Making a configuration sheet 3) Data Lists - Data Validation 4) Processing the data - VLOOKUP 5) Transferring data to AutoCAD Project 3: Open the Excel file PV_Config. On the Config tab, add a section for choosing inverter configurations. The inverter raw data is on the Inverters tab. Create a title block in Excel and import it into AutoCAD. Extra credit: calculate overhead module dimensions including tilt angle, export them in a table to AutoCAD.

Day 3
Module 4 Mechanical Diagrams 1) Drawing Footings & Roof Structure Module 5 Annotation & Publishing 1) 2) 3) 4) Dimensioning Text & Leaders Model Space vs. Paper Space Plotting & Publishing

Project 4: Preparing Previous Drawings for Publication. Add dimensions and leaders where appropriate. Create a Layout tab for each drawing (Site Plan, Electrical, Mechanical). Plot each finished drawing.