Optimize Solar Panel Installation with On-site AR Visualization: Leveraging LRTK Point Cloud Data in PVsyst

In planning solar power plant panel layouts, both optimal layout design and accurate shading analysis are indispensable for maximizing generation efficiency. To achieve this, it is important to accurately understand the site’s topography and surrounding environment and to adjust panel placement and tilt accordingly. However, traditional methods have required time-consuming field surveys and shading studies, raising challenges in design accuracy and efficiency.

In recent years, new approaches using digital technologies have emerged to solve these problems. One such approach is the use of AR (augmented reality) technology combined with point cloud surveying. In particular, the method of acquiring high-precision 3D point cloud data easily on site using a smartphone paired with a compact positioning device called “LRTK,” and visually validating it on-site via AR, has attracted attention. This combination of on-site AR visualization and point cloud data is poised to significantly change the solar panel installation design process.

This article explains how AR technology and point cloud survey data from LRTK contribute to design, shading analysis, and layout optimization in PVsyst, taking into account the shortcomings of traditional approaches. It describes on-site visual simulations, detailed terrain understanding, improved accuracy of generation simulations, and efficiency gains in design work, comparing them with conventional methods. At the end of the article, a smartphone-only simple surveying solution using LRTK is also introduced.

Conventional Design Methods and On-site Challenges

In panel layout design for solar power plants, conventional practice relied heavily on field surveys and experience-based layout planning. Designers and surveyors would visit sites to measure elevation differences and visually inspect elements that block sunlight, such as trees and buildings, then determine panel placement on drawings or in CAD. However, this approach involved the following challenges:

• Field surveys require time and specialized skills: Traditional surveying necessitates measuring many points using total stations or GNSS instruments, requiring teams of skilled technicians. Surveying large or highly undulating sites can take considerable time and effort.

• Insufficient terrain and obstacle information reduces design accuracy: Site models created from limited survey data can miss subtle slope changes or small obstacles (low shrubs, adjacent structures, etc.). As a result, unforeseen shading or unsuitable installation locations may emerge later, potentially causing discrepancies in generation forecasts.

• Simplified shading analysis: To quickly estimate on-site solar exposure, designers sometimes relied on experience or simple shadow charts. Without accurate 3D models, detailed analysis of shadow movement between panel rows or seasonal variation was cumbersome, and simulations tended to assume flat terrain.

• Inefficient response to design changes: If layout revisions or additional considerations were required after the initial design, additional field surveys or redrawing of plans were often necessary. This affected project schedules and impeded rapid optimization.

As described above, conventional methods faced challenges in both accuracy and efficiency, leaving uncertainty particularly in generation forecasting accuracy and installation planning.

On-site DX with AR Technology and LRTK Point Cloud Measurement

A promising technology combination for resolving these issues is AR (augmented reality) paired with high-precision point cloud measurement. With AR, designers can overlay planned panel layouts and terrain models onto the real site through a smartphone or tablet screen, enabling on-site, perspective-aligned visualization of panel positions, heights, and shading. This “on-site AR visualization” makes intuitive on-site simulation possible, which was difficult with traditional methods.

However, accurate alignment between digital data and the real world is critical for using AR effectively on site. Standard smartphone AR suffers from GPS errors on the order of meters, causing visual misalignment. Enter the compact surveying device known as LRTK. LRTK is a palm-sized positioning and measurement unit that attaches to a smartphone and uses an onboard RTK-GNSS receiver to boost phone positioning accuracy to the centimeter level. When combined with a smartphone’s built-in LiDAR sensor (on supported models), it can scan the surroundings to capture detailed 3D point cloud data. LRTK enables anyone to obtain absolute-coordinate point cloud models that are not achievable with a phone alone.

Point cloud measurement with LRTK advances on-site digital transformation (DX). Tasks that previously required expensive 3D laser scanners or drone photogrammetry can now be completed with a smartphone in a short time and at low cost. For example, a single technician can walk the site for a few minutes to scan and instantly obtain a detailed point cloud model capturing ground elevations and the shapes of nearby trees and buildings. The captured data can be uploaded to the cloud for team sharing and easily imported into design software, as described below. LRTK apps also typically provide on-site AR display functions for the captured point clouds and design data, offering an interface that is intuitive even for non-experts. There have been reports of field workers using the system without special training, indicating that this technology enables digital workflows independent of operator skill level.

Optimal Design Using Point Cloud Data in PVsyst

High-precision point cloud data acquired with LRTK proves powerful when used in the solar design software PVsyst. PVsyst is widely used for energy prediction and layout design of photovoltaic systems; it simulates annual energy production and losses by inputting local weather data and panel specifications. One particularly important feature is its near shading analysis. PVsyst can construct 3D scenes of the terrain and nearby structures to calculate shading impacts in detail based on solar angles.

Traditionally, constructing this 3D scene often involved manually inputting terrain cross-sections or using simplified models. By using point cloud data from LRTK, however, you can import highly accurate digital replicas of the actual site into PVsyst. For example, importing elevation data generated from the point cloud into PVsyst as CSV or GeoTIFF enables panel placement on the actual terrain, reflecting real undulations. Surrounding trees and buildings can also be converted from point clouds into 3D objects and placed in the scene as shading objects. As a result, you can precisely calculate how much shade each panel receives at any time of the year and quantitatively evaluate generation losses due to shading.

Using high-precision site models in PVsyst delivers the following design benefits:

• Improved accuracy of generation forecasts: Incorporating actual terrain slopes and obstacles into simulations brings annual generation estimates closer to measured values. This avoids overly optimistic or pessimistic estimates and enables more reliable planning.

• Faster layout optimization: Detailed 3D models allow quick comparison of multiple layout scenarios. For example, you can simulate changing row spacing or tilt angles and immediately see the impact on shading and generation. Terrain-conforming arrangements (terraced layouts or irregular land adaptation) can be adjusted in the data, facilitating optimal layout planning that balances land use and energy yield.

• Reduced design workload: Using point cloud data eliminates the need to manually draw terrain cross-sections or enter numbers. Designing from a single captured site point cloud reduces the need for additional surveys or site checks, shortening design time and lowering labor costs.

Incorporating accurate point cloud survey data into PVsyst thus enhances both the quality and efficiency of power plant design. Reflecting real site conditions in 3D from the design phase helps prevent unexpected shading or post-construction layout changes, enabling the planned generation performance to be realized.

On-site AR Visualization for Layout Simulation and Construction Efficiency

Design plans refined in PVsyst can be simulated on site at full scale using AR. By projecting the designed panel layout onto the site through a smartphone—using the coordinate system obtained with LRTK—you can reproduce a virtual arrangement of panels on an empty site. This “on-site AR visualization” makes it possible to detect subtle issues not evident from desktop plans.

For example, AR can support the following checks and tasks on site:

• Pre-verification of layout: Display the planned panel arrangement at full scale to intuitively verify whether there is adequate space and appropriate relations to surrounding structures. You can visually grasp where racking height adjustments are needed due to ground irregularities and quickly determine if design changes are necessary.

• Visualization of shading conditions: Simulate the sun’s position for specified dates and times to view how shadows fall in AR at particular moments. For instance, you can visually confirm on site how far east-side tree shadows extend on a winter solstice morning. This helps avoid layouts that would suffer significant generation losses.

• Streamlining layout marking: By following AR guides that show panel angles and post positions, crews can mark the ground on site (layout marking) and install piles or racking at the correct locations as designed. Compared to traditional marking with tape measures and drawings, this significantly reduces positioning errors and measurement mistakes.

• Stakeholder sharing and consensus building: Showing landowners and construction teams an AR view of the completed installation helps communicate the plan and build consensus. The scale and layout that are hard to convey with paper drawings become immediately understandable, reducing time spent on explanations and preventing communication loss on site.

Thus, AR on-site visualization is more than a visual demo; it plays an important role as a bridge between design and construction. Experiencing a virtual installation in advance prevents rework during construction (such as “cannot install here” or “drawings don’t match the site”), ultimately shortening construction schedules and reducing costs. Planning backed by AR and point cloud data becomes a powerful tool to carry out on-site work more reliably and quickly.

Accuracy Improvements and Efficiency Gains from LRTK Adoption

As outlined above, combining AR technology with LRTK point cloud data offers substantial advantages throughout the process from planning to construction of solar panel installations. The main benefits can be summarized as follows:

• Higher measurement and design accuracy: Designs based on point cloud data obtained at centimeter-level precision reflect actual terrain and obstacles, dramatically improving generation forecasts and shading analysis accuracy and minimizing gaps between design expectations and post-construction results.

• Improved project efficiency: Digital linkage of data across surveying, design, and construction planning reduces redundant work and rechecks. Rapid point cloud capture and immediate simulation accelerate the design cycle and allow fast response to design changes. On the construction side, fewer issues occur thanks to prior simulation, contributing to shorter project timelines and cost reductions.

• Reduced skill dependence and improved safety: Smartphone-based surveying with LRTK is intuitive and can achieve consistent accuracy even without expert operators. In labor-short sites, a single person can handle surveying and data utilization, reducing reliance on specialists. AR visualization also helps identify hazards and attention points beforehand, contributing to improved construction safety.

• Easier stakeholder consensus: Visual information sharing with 3D models and AR helps owners, designers, and contractors share a common image. Misunderstandings and oversights decrease, facilitating smoother decision-making and approval processes.

Introducing LRTK on site thus goes beyond mere surveying efficiency; it directly improves project quality and smoothness. High-precision data and AR visualization enable a “design and construction flow that remains consistent regardless of who performs it,” providing significant value for modern solar power plant planning.

Conclusion: How Smartphone-only Simple Surveying Transforms Solar Design

Using AR and high-precision point cloud data from LRTK is transforming the solar panel installation design process. Realistically reproducing site topography and shading and conducting detailed simulations in PVsyst allow decisions previously based on experience and estimation to be made with data. As a result, improvements in generation forecast accuracy and reductions in design workload are achieved, enhancing overall project reliability and profitability.

Smartphone-only simple surveying solutions like LRTK are a trump card for on-site DX. With a single smartphone, users can complete surveying, 3D modeling, and AR-based design verification, dramatically simplifying tasks that once required large equipment and specialist knowledge. Less-experienced technicians can efficiently capture site data and immediately apply it to design by following device and app guidance. By adopting these technologies, solar power plant planning becomes faster and more precise, and over time they will be applicable from small-scale projects to large developments.

To enhance competitiveness in the solar industry, proactively adopting the latest digital tools is important. By introducing on-site AR visualization and point cloud utilization technologies such as LRTK and realizing “surveying and design completed with a smartphone,” you can achieve more efficient, optimized panel layouts and reliable generation plans.