Introducing the enhanced Expert Project Plan in the Enstall Calculator
Solar projects require more than a well-designed system. The technical basis behind that design also matters, particularly when working with structural engineers, technical stakeholders, insurers and other stakeholders involved in reviewing a project.
With the enhanced Expert Project Plan in the Enstall Calculator, we’re providing greater visibility into the structural calculations behind your design.
The calculations themselves aren’t new. The Enstall Calculator has always performed these calculations in the background. What’s new is the level of detail you can now access, making it easier to understand, review and reproduce how key results were determined.
Choose the level of detail you need
You can now choose between two Project Plan options: with or without Structural Calculations.
When you select the Expert Project Plan with Structural Calculations, your report includes a dedicated Calculations chapter that brings together the formulas, parameters, engineering equations and applicable standards behind your project.
The overview of the Project Plan has also been refined to improve readability and make key project information easier to navigate.
What can you find in the new Calculations chapter?
The Calculations chapter provides more detail on several important aspects of your project, including:
- Snow load calculations
- Peak velocity pressure calculations
- Ballast determination
- Formulas and engineering equations
- Eurocode references
- Module-specific and general load equations
- Ultimate Limit State (ULS) equations
- Serviceability Limit State (SLS) equations
- Roof and module load information
- System Utilization Verification for individual roof segments
Rather than only seeing the final values, you can now follow more of the calculation process and understand which parameters and standards have been applied.
See the enhanced Expert Project Plan in action
Take a closer look at the new features and see how structural calculations are presented in the enhanced Expert Project Plan.
Greater transparency with Eurocodes and National Annexes
The calculations are based on Eurocodes together with the applicable country-specific National Annexes.
Eurocodes provide a common framework for structural design across Europe, while National Annexes define nationally determined parameters for their application in individual countries.
The enhanced Expert Project Plan makes more of this methodology visible. For calculations such as snow load and peak velocity pressure, you can see the parameters used, the resulting values and the relevant Eurocode references.
This is particularly useful when project documentation needs to be reviewed by structural engineers or other technical stakeholders, as it provides a clearer basis for understanding how the results were reached.
See how ballast requirements are determined
The new Calculations chapter also provides more insight into ballast determination.
Using an example module from the project, the report shows the parameters involved in determining the required module weight, together with the calculation behind the result.
The report also provides background information on the wind tunnel research and certification that support the calculation methodology, helping connect the final design values with the engineering and testing behind them.
More insight into structural performance
The enhanced report doesn’t stop at environmental loads and ballast.
It also presents load equations and structural checks, including Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and Serviceability Limit State (SLS) equations.
Roof and module loads are presented separately, while System Utilization Verification provide additional insight into the utilization of relevant components for individual roof segments.
Together, this information provides a more complete technical picture of the proposed design and makes the structural calculations easier to follow and review.
Making our calculations more transparent
The engineering methodology behind the Enstall Calculator hasn’t changed. We’re simply making more of it visible.
By bringing formulas, parameters, engineering equations and applicable standards into the Expert Project Plan, we’re providing greater transparency into how a project is calculated and making that information more accessible to the technical stakeholders involved.
For commercial and industrial projects in particular, this can help make technical discussions and project reviews more straightforward by providing the information behind the results in one structured report.
Explore the enhanced Expert Project Plan
The enhanced Expert Project Plan is live and available to all Enstall Calculator users.
Choose the Project Plan with Structural Calculations for your next project and discover the engineering behind your design.