Comparison
Ritwerk and PV*SOL premium, side by side.
PV*SOL premium is a Windows program with a large product database and several sources of climate data. The designer runs in the browser and has the mounting and the loads in the same drawing.
Updated
What PV*SOL premium is
PV*SOL premium from Valentin Software GmbH is a program for Windows 10 and 11 that is installed locally. Valentin aims it at engineers, system designers and installers, for houses, commercial roofs, halls and ground-mounted systems. The database holds over 30,000 modules and over 8,500 inverters, and the manufacturers update their own products.
Map data can be fetched via the Google Solar API with your own Google key, which Google charges per request. For sites in Germany there are 3D buildings from laser scanning. Version 2027 R1, released on 11 November 2026, added dynamic tariffs, demand charges and peak shaving with the battery.
Side by side
| Ritwerk | PV*SOL premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in | The browser, on a computer and iPad, with no account | Windows 10/11, installed locally |
| Components | Register of 570 products (120 panel models, 415 inverters, 35 batteries) from many manufacturers, with product sheets and datasheets; you can add your own panels | Over 30,000 modules and over 8,500 inverters, updated by the manufacturers |
| Base data | Aerial imagery from Esri; the outline is traced on the photo and Inner edges raises the roof in 3D | Orthophotos and elevation data via Google Solar API (own key); 3D buildings from LiDAR in Germany |
| Shading | The sun’s path every month plus sky view, at nine points per panel; the loss per panel | Shading from 3D objects per module, at string or cell level |
| Strings | Longest strings within Voc at −25 °C, Vmp at 70 °C and the current per MPPT, with an explanation | Automatic configuration, check against the inverter (Voc at −10 °C, MPP voltage, current) |
| Yield data | PVGIS 5.3 from the European Commission, simulated hour by hour | Meteonorm 9, PVGIS, Solcast, SolarAnywhere; dedicated TMY data for Germany |
| Mounting and loads | Snow and wind loads to the Swedish BFS 2024:6 in the designer: zones, fixings and largest c/c spacing for 12 systems from Nordmount, SOLTOP and Weland; ballast in the manufacturer’s software | Via K2 Base and Renusol PV Configurator, with an account there |
| Battery | Battery sizing tests every size hour by hour; control by hourly price in SE1–SE4 | Battery, EV and heat pump; dynamic tariffs and peak shaving since 2027 R1 |
| For the customer | PDF report in A4 at three levels, with a 3D view, strings, yield, shading and economics | Project report as PDF or Word in over 20 languages, customer presentation |
| Interface | Swedish, English and German | Nine languages, not Swedish |
| Price | Designer at no cost; Pro €49 per user per month excl. VAT, with volume discount (pre-order) | €845 per user per year excl. VAT (list price) |
The details on PV*SOL premium come from the vendor’s own pages and were checked on 14 November 2026; the sources are listed at the end of the page. "Not stated" means the detail could not be verified there. The Ritwerk column describes the designer as it is today.
When PV*SOL premium is the better fit
When the project needs several sources of climate data: Meteonorm 9, PVGIS, Solcast and SolarAnywhere, plus dedicated TMY data for Germany. The string configuration is checked against the inverter, and the project report can be printed as PDF or Word in over 20 languages.
PV*SOL premium also suits companies that work in Windows and buy their mounting systems from K2 or Renusol. Valentin has an interface to their software, where the structural calculation is done and the bill of materials is sent back. Since version 2027 R1, the battery can be controlled against an imported dynamic tariff with price limits and used for peak shaving.
When Ritwerk is the better fit
When the design is to be done where the customer is, in the browser on a computer or iPad, with no installation and no account. The interface is available in Swedish, English and German.
The mounting sits in the same drawing: choose a system from Nordmount, SOLTOP or Weland, enter the ground snow load and the reference wind speed, and the designer calculates the zones, the fixings per panel and the largest c/c spacing to the Swedish BFS 2024:6. The battery is sized hour by hour and can be controlled against the 2025 hourly prices for Sweden’s bidding zones SE1–SE4, which are built in – no price file needs to be imported.
Snow and wind loads in the designer
The load is calculated per roof face and zone – corner, edge and centre – with the fixings per panel and the largest c/c spacing per rail. The report gets its own page with the calculation, marked as preliminary until the manufacturer’s calculation has confirmed it.
Sources
- Valentin Software – PV*SOL premium (product page and release notes 2027 R1) – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – the licence model (price, three months) – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – the PV*SOL database – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: Google Solar API – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: shading due to nearby objects – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: configuration check – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: MeteoSyn (climate data) – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: interface to mounting system software – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: energy management with a dynamic tariff – checked 13 November 2026
- Valentin Software – help: presentation and report languages – checked 14 November 2026
- Valentin Software – downloads and trial period – checked 14 November 2026
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Which languages is PV*SOL premium available in?
According to Valentin, the interface is available in nine languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Czech, Portuguese and Turkish. The project report can be produced in more languages, Swedish among them.
What does PV*SOL premium cost?
€845 per user per year excluding VAT according to Valentin, or €285 for three months. Program and database updates are included, and the program can be tried for 30 days.
Does PV*SOL premium calculate snow and wind loads?
Valentin describes an interface to the mounting manufacturers’ software K2 Base and Renusol PV Configurator, where the mounting system and the structural analysis are calculated. The bill of materials and the structural report are then brought back into PV*SOL. This requires an account with the mounting manufacturer.
Does Ritwerk work on a Mac?
Yes. Ritwerk runs in the browser and needs WebGL for the 3D view, which modern browsers have – on Windows, Mac and iPad.
Read next
- Mounting and loadsSnow and wind loads to BFS 2024:6: wind zones, fixings per panel and the largest c/c spacing per roof face.
- Energy and batteryConsumption profile or hourly readings, PVGIS 5.3, an hour-by-hour simulation and the battery sized against hourly prices.
- String designVoc at −25 °C, Vmp at 70 °C, current per MPPT – and the longest strings the limits allow.
Try it on a real roof.
The designer opens in your browser, with no account. Search for an address and start drawing.