Comparison
Ritwerk and SMA Sunny Design, side by side.
Sunny Design is SMA’s no-cost planning tool for systems with SMA inverters. The designer picks inverters and batteries from a register of many brands.
Updated
What Sunny Design is
Sunny Design comes from SMA Solar Technology AG and runs in the browser, on iPad and on Android tablets. SMA aims the tool at installers and system planners and states that it is available at no cost and with no time limit. Systems are planned with SMA inverters and common solar panels, and according to the manual an SMA ID is required.
In 3D roof planning, data from the Google Solar API can be used, and your own drone images or aerial photos can be added. Sunny Design Pro adds dynamic tariffs as a time series, heat pumps and the import of 3D models, among other things.
Side by side
| Ritwerk | SMA Sunny Design | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in | The browser, on a computer and iPad, with no account | The browser, iPad and Android tablet; SMA ID according to the manual |
| 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 | All available SMA inverters and common solar panels; you can add your own panels |
| Base data | Aerial imagery from Esri; the outline is traced on the photo and Inner edges raises the roof in 3D | Google Solar API data in 3D roof planning, your own drone images and aerial photos, Bing maps |
| Shading | The sun’s path every month plus sky view, at nine points per panel; the loss per panel | Annual shading per roof face and module, shading loss at string level |
| Strings | Longest strings within Voc at −25 °C, Vmp at 70 °C and the current per MPPT, with an explanation | Automatic proposals; flags strings that are too short or too long |
| Yield data | PVGIS 5.3 from the European Commission, simulated hour by hour | The nearest meteorological data set is chosen automatically; source not stated |
| 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 | Mounting type on flat roofs, mounting overview; loads: not stated |
| Battery | Battery sizing tests every size hour by hour; control by hourly price in SE1–SE4 | Self-consumption, battery for peak shaving, EV; dynamic tariff in Pro |
| For the customer | PDF report in A4 at three levels, with a 3D view, strings, yield, shading and economics | Quote and project documentation as PDF; project exposé in PowerPoint (Pro) |
| Interface | Swedish, English and German | Swedish among others, since version 5.30 |
| Price | Designer at no cost; Pro €49 per user per month excl. VAT, with volume discount (pre-order) | No cost; Sunny Design Pro €600 per year net |
The details on SMA Sunny Design 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 Sunny Design is the better fit
When the system is built with SMA inverters and chargers. The string proposals are worked out for SMA products, the shading loss is calculated at string level with SMA’s ShadeFix, and PV-optimised charging can be simulated for SMA EV chargers.
The tool costs nothing, and the Pro version has dynamic tariffs as a time series and energy systems with heat pumps. The quote with the customer’s address and a cost overview is created as a PDF directly in the tool.
When Ritwerk is the better fit
When the company installs several brands or wants to compare them. The register holds 415 inverters and 35 batteries from Fronius, Huawei, SMA, SolarEdge, Sungrow and GoodWe, among others, and battery selection shows the batteries that pair with the chosen inverter.
The roof is drawn from the outline of the house – L-, T- and U-shaped houses with valleys too – and raised in 3D with Inner edges. The mounting is calculated for snow and wind loads to BFS 2024:6, with fixings per panel and the largest c/c spacing for systems from Nordmount, SOLTOP and Weland.
The product picker
Search by brand, model or power among 570 products: "10 kW" finds ten kilowatts, not 110. Every product has a product sheet with a link to the manufacturer’s datasheet, and favourites and recently used sit at the top.
Sources
- SMA – Sunny Design (product page with release notes and a comparison of the versions) – checked 14 November 2026
- SMA – Sunny Design, user manual SunnyDesign-BA-en-31 (PDF) – checked 14 November 2026
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Does Sunny Design cost anything?
No. SMA states that Sunny Design is available at no cost and with no time limit. Sunny Design Pro costs 600 euros per year net, with a one-month trial at no cost.
Can Sunny Design be used with other brands of inverter?
SMA’s manual describes planning with all available SMA inverters, and common solar panels from other manufacturers are included. Inverters from other brands are not mentioned.
Is Sunny Design available in Swedish?
Yes. According to SMA’s release notes, Swedish and Hungarian have been available in the interface since version 5.30.
Do I need an account for Ritwerk?
No. The designer runs in the browser at no cost and with no account. Projects are saved in the browser and can be saved as a file.
Read next
- Component library570 products with search by power, favourites, product sheets and a link to the manufacturer’s datasheet.
- String designVoc at −25 °C, Vmp at 70 °C, current per MPPT – and the longest strings the limits allow.
- The roof in 3DOutline on aerial imagery, Inner edges and the ridge in 3D – gable, hipped, mansard, flat and your own roof lines.
Try it on a real roof.
The designer opens in your browser, with no account. Search for an address and start drawing.