PV-Collada Ontology
OWL 2 ontology derived from the PV-Collada 2.0 XSD schema. Provides vocabulary for PV system circuit topology, physical layout geometry, and component product data, within the MDS-Onto builtenv domain.
Covers three interlocking layers: (1) a product library of typed PV components (modules, inverters, cables, etc.); (2) a circuit topology describing how those components are wired together; and (3) a physical 3-D layout associating circuit positions with geometric rack instances. ModuleLayout is the cross-domain bridge between layers 2 and 3.
AC Combiner Product
Product-level specification for an AC inverter combiner panel.
Corresponds to combiner_ac_type_object.
AC Combiner Instance
An instance of an AC combiner panel in the electrical circuit.
alternating current
amorphous silicon
aSi
aluminum conductor
aluminum
bifacial module
bifacial
CEC efficiency standard
CEC
concentrating photovoltaic module
cpv
Cable Product
Product-level specification for a PV cable, including cross-sectional area, conductor count, material, and electrical resistance.
Corresponds to cable_type_object.
Cable To
A directed cable connection from a circuit instance to its electrical parent, carrying a reference to the cable product and the installed length.
cadmium telluride
cdTe
Cell Architecture
Enumeration of cell junction or contact architectures used in PV modules.
Cell Material
Enumeration of absorber semiconductor materials used in PV cells.
central inverter
central
Circuit
The complete electrical circuit description of a PV system, rooted at a single circuit_root element that is a transformer, AC combiner, or inverter.
Circuit Instance
An instantiated element in the electrical circuit topology of a PV system, referencing a PVComponent product specification.
circular post
circle
circular torque tube
Conductor Material
Enumeration of cable conductor materials.
copper conductor
copper
DC Combiner Product
Product-level specification for a DC string combiner box.
Corresponds to combiner_dc_type_object.
DC Combiner Instance
An instance of a DC combiner box in the electrical circuit.
direct current
Drive Type
Enumeration of drive coupling configurations for single-axis trackers.
dual axis tracker
dual_axis
EU efficiency standard
Efficiency Standard Type
Enumeration of rating standards used for inverter efficiency measurement.
fence post
fence
fixed table
fixed
fixed tilt
fixed_tilt
Fixed Tilt Rack
A rack mounted at a fixed tilt angle; requires azimuth and tilt, and must not carry tracker geometry fields.
Tracker Gap
A space between two racks on a single-axis tracker torque tube, occupied by a motor drive or a flexible joint.
Gap Type
Enumeration of gap categories between racks on a tracker torque tube.
H-shape post
h-shape
heterojunction
interdigitated back contact
IBC
independent drive
independent
PV Inverter Product
Product-level specification for a PV inverter, capturing its AC/DC power ratings, MPPT voltage window, efficiency, and parasitic consumption.
Corresponds to inverter_type_object. Declared as a subclass of mds:Inverter to align with MDS-Onto.
Inverter Instance
An instance of an inverter in the electrical circuit, referencing a product inverter specification and containing MPPT inputs.
Inverter Type
Enumeration of PV inverter deployment topologies.
joint gap
joint
landscape orientation
landscape
linked drive
linked
MPPT Input
A single MPPT channel instance within an inverter circuit instance, containing one or more strings or DC combiners.
MPPT Unit Product
Product-level specification for a single maximum-power-point-tracking channel on an inverter, recording the number of parallel input strings.
Corresponds to mppt_type_object.
microinverter
PV Module Product
Product-level specification for a PV module, capturing its physical dimensions, electrical parameters at STC, and cell technology.
Corresponds to module_type_object in pvcollada_schema_2.0.xsd. Declared as a subclass of mds:PhotovoltaicModule to align with the MDS-Onto builtenv PV-module hierarchy.
Module Array
An ordered collection of modules within a string, each described by a ModuleLayout that maps a circuit position to a physical rack cell.
Module Layout
Cross-domain bridge entity that maps a module's position in the electrical circuit (position_in_string) to its physical location on a rack (row, column) via a reference to an instance_rack_ref.
This is the key join point between circuit topology and physical 3-D layout in PV-Collada.
Module Orientation
Enumeration of module mounting orientations on a rack.
Module Type
Enumeration of PV module form-factor types.
monocrystalline silicon
monoSi
monofacial module
monofacial
motor gap
motor
octagonal torque tube
octogon
Power Optimizer Product
Product-level specification for a module-level power optimizer.
Corresponds to optimizer_type_object.
Optimizer Array
An ordered collection of power optimizer instances within a string.
Optimizer Instance
An instance of a power optimizer in the circuit, connected via cable_to_parent and optionally cable_to_neighbor.
passivated emitter and rear cell
PERC
PV-Collada Entity
Abstract root class for all entities described in the PV-Collada schema.
PV Component
A typed product specification for a physical PV balance-of-system component, as declared in the PV-Collada components library.
perpendicular post
perpendicular
Physical Asset
A physical or geometric object in the 3-D layout of a PV installation, represented in the COLLADA scene graph.
polycrystalline silicon
polySi
portrait orientation
portrait
Structural Post
A vertical structural member that supports a rack, tracker torque tube, or fence, driven into or anchored to the ground.
Post Inclination
Enumeration of post installation inclination modes.
Post Shape
Enumeration of structural post cross-section shapes.
Post Type
Enumeration of structural post functions.
Power Type
Enumeration of electrical power type (AC or DC) for cables.
PV Project
Top-level project metadata for a PV-Collada file, recording system capacity, string and module counts, geographic projection, and boundary.
Declared as a subclass of mds:PhotovoltaicSite; the pvc:Project adds schema-level attributes (capacity, module/string counts, projection).
PV Rack
A co-planar group of modules mounted in a fixed or tracker configuration, described by a COLLADA geometry rectangle representing the rack surface.
Declared as a subclass of mds:Racking. Business rule (Schematron): if rack_type = fixed_tilt then azimuth and tilt are required and tracker fields are forbidden; if rack_type = tracker then tracker_azimuth is required and fixed-tilt fields are forbidden. See pvc:FixedTiltRack and pvc:TrackerRack subclasses.
rack post
rack
Rack Type
Enumeration of rack mounting strategies.
rectangular post
rectangle
rectangular torque tube
shingle module
shingle
single axis tracker
single_axis
single junction
single_junction
PV String
A series-connected string of PV modules, containing either a module array or an optimizer array.
string inverter
string
tunnel oxide passivated contact
TOPcon
PV Table
A group of mechanically linked racks in a single row, potentially including posts and gaps. When the table is a tracker, all constituent racks share the same rotation around the tracker axis.
Table Type
Enumeration of table mounting types.
tandem perovskite
tandem-perovskite
Terrain
A triangulated 3-D surface model representing the site terrain.
Torque Tube Shape
Enumeration of cross-sectional shapes for a single-axis tracker torque tube.
tracker post
tracker
Tracker Rack
A rack mounted on a solar tracker; requires tracker_azimuth, and must not carry fixed-tilt geometry fields.
tracker rack
tracker table
Tracker Type
Enumeration of solar tracker axis configurations.
Transformer Product
Product-level specification for an AC step-up or isolation transformer, including rated power, voltage ratio, efficiency, and loss parameters.
Corresponds to transformer_type_object.
Transformer Instance
An instance of a transformer in the electrical circuit.
vertical post
vertical
rack azimuth
Azimuth angle of a fixed rack (direction modules face).
Unit: °; applies to FixedTiltRack only.
bifaciality factor
Ratio of rear-side to front-side quantum efficiency for bifacial modules (dimensionless, 0–1).
cable length
Installed length of this cable run.
Unit: m (assumed SI default; verify against project file)
maximum AC capacity
Maximum inverter AC output power.
Unit: W
maximum DC capacity
Maximum inverter DC input power.
column spacing
Spacing between modules in the column direction on a rack.
company
Name of the company or organisation responsible for the project.
winding resistance (copper loss)
Equivalent series resistance used to compute winding (copper) losses.
Unit: Ω
country
ISO 3166 alpha-2 or alpha-3 country code for the project location.
cross-section area
Conductor cross-sectional area.
Unit: mm²
drawing reference
Drawing or document reference associated with the project.
efficiency
Maximum efficiency as AC output power / DC input power.
Unit: %; range 0–100
efficiency standard value
Weighted efficiency computed per the standard specified by efficiencyStandardType.
gap width
Nominal width of the gap between the two adjacent racks.
has cable to neighbor
Associates an optimizer instance with the cable that daisy-chains it to an adjacent optimizer.
has cable to parent
Associates a circuit instance with the cable that connects it to its electrical parent node.
has cell architecture
Specifies the cell junction or contact architecture used in a module.
has cell material
Specifies the semiconductor absorber material of the cells in a module.
has conductor material
Specifies the conductor material of a cable product.
has DC combiner input
Associates an MPPT input with a DC combiner that aggregates strings.
has drive type
Associates a single-axis tracker table with its drive coupling type.
has efficiency standard type
Specifies the rating standard (CEC or EU) used to compute the efficiency_standard_value.
has gap type
Associates a gap with its function (motor or joint).
has inverter type
Associates an inverter product with its deployment topology.
has MPPT input
Associates a circuit inverter instance with its MPPT channel instances.
has MPPT unit
Associates an inverter product with its MPPT channel specifications.
has module array
Associates a string with its module array (direct-wire configuration).
has module layout
Associates a module array with its constituent ModuleLayout entries, each describing the position of one module in the string and in the rack.
has module orientation
Associates a rack with the mounting orientation of its modules.
has module type
Associates a module product with its form-factor type.
has optimizer array
Associates a string with its optimizer array (optimized configuration).
has post inclination
Associates a post with its installation inclination (vertical or perpendicular).
has post shape
Associates a post with its cross-section shape.
has post type
Associates a post with its structural function (rack, tracker, fence).
has power type
Associates a cable with its power type (AC or DC).
has rack type
Associates a rack with its mounting type (fixed_tilt or tracker).
has string
Associates an MPPT input with its connected PV strings.
has table type
Associates a table with its mounting type (fixed or tracker).
has torque tube shape
Associates a single-axis tracker table with its torque tube cross-section shape.
has tracker type
Associates a tracker table with its axis configuration.
height above ground
Height of the lower edge of a fixed rack above ground level.
maximum DC current
Maximum DC input current to the inverter.
Unit: A
current at maximum power point at STC
Module current at the maximum power point under STC.
short-circuit current at STC
Module short-circuit current at Standard Test Conditions.
impedance per unit length
AC impedance per kilometre of cable.
Unit: Ω/km
input count
Number of parallel inputs (strings) that can be connected.
interconnection limit
AC power limit imposed by the grid interconnection agreement.
iron core loss
No-load loss in the transformer iron core, independent of output current.
joint angle
Maximum flexion angle of a non-rigid joint gap.
Unit: °
local projection
EPSG code for the coordinate projection used to relate local (x,y,z) coordinates to geocoordinates (e.g., 'EPSG:3857').
manufacturer
Name of the product manufacturer.
module columns
Number of columns of modules on the rack.
module count
Total number of PV modules in the system.
module depth
Depth (thickness) of the module.
Unit: mm
module length
Length of the module in the longest dimension.
module rows
Number of rows of modules on the rack.
module width
Width of the module orthogonal to its longest dimension.
MPPT count
Number of MPPT channels on the inverter.
night disconnect
True if the transformer automatically disconnects from the grid at night.
night tare power
Standby power consumed by the inverter when not generating.
nominal power
Module power at Standard Test Conditions (STC).
nominal AC power
Inverter AC output power at rating conditions.
nominal DC power
Inverter DC input power at rating conditions.
number of cells
Total number of PV cells in the module.
number of cells in length
Number of cells arranged along the length dimension.
cells in series per string
Number of series-connected cells in a single internal string.
number of cells in width
Number of cells arranged along the width dimension.
number of conductors
Number of electrical conductors in the cable.
number of internal strings
Number of parallel internal cell strings within the module.
position in string
Sequential index of this module within its series string (1-based).
post underground depth
Nominal depth of the post driven underground.
post diameter
Diameter of the post cross-section.
post total length
Total length of the post including the underground portion.
product name
Model name of the product (e.g., 'Q.Tron Classic 440W').
project name
Name of the PV project.
rack column
Column index of the module slot on the physical rack.
rack offset
Distance from the rack surface to the tracker torque tube centre.
rack row
Row index of the module slot on the physical rack.
references AC combiner product
Links a circuit AC combiner instance to its product specification.
references cable product
Links a CableTo connection to the cable product it uses.
references DC combiner product
Links a circuit DC combiner instance to its product specification.
references inverter product
Links a circuit inverter instance to its product specification.
references module
Links a rack to the module product specification it holds, via the module_id IDREF in the PV-Collada schema.
references optimizer product
Links a circuit optimizer instance to its product specification.
references rack
Cross-domain bridge property: links a circuit ModuleLayout to the physical rack instance (via instance_rack_ref) that holds the module.
This is the critical join between circuit topology and physical layout.
references transformer product
Links a circuit transformer instance to its product specification.
resistance per unit length
DC electrical resistance per kilometre of cable.
rigid
True if the gap is rigid; false if it allows torque tube flexion.
row spacing
Spacing between modules in the row direction on a rack.
self consumption
Power consumed by the inverter during normal operation.
rack slope
Slope of a fixed rack in the direction 90° counterclockwise from azimuth.
string count
Total number of series-connected module strings.
system AC capacity
Total AC capacity at the inverter rating condition.
system DC capacity
Total DC nameplate capacity of the PV system at STC.
temperature coefficient of short-circuit current
Change in short-circuit current per degree Celsius.
Unit: A/°C
temperature coefficient of power
Change in maximum power per degree Celsius.
Unit: %/°C
temperature coefficient of open-circuit voltage
Change in open-circuit voltage per degree Celsius.
Unit: V/°C
table count
Total number of tables in the physical layout.
rack tilt
Tilt angle from horizontal of a fixed rack.
timezone
IANA timezone string for the project location (e.g., 'America/Phoenix').
timezone offset
UTC offset in hours; positive values are East of UTC.
Unit: h
tracker azimuth
Azimuth of a tracker torque tube. Rotation is a right-hand rotation around this axis; e.g., positive rotation at azimuth 180° is westward.
Unit: °; applies to TrackerRack only.
tracker height
Height of the tracker torque tube centre above ground.
maximum gap angle
Maximum angle formed in the torque axis at a gap between racks.
tracker maximum rotation
Pair of values (negative, positive) giving the nominal maximum rotation angles from horizontal for a single-axis tracker, e.g., '-45 45'.
Unit: °; encoded as two space-separated floats.
tracker slope
Slope of a tracker torque tube in the direction of its azimuth.
torque tube diameter
Nominal diameter of the single-axis tracker torque tube.
triangle count
Number of triangular faces in the terrain surface mesh.
nominal input voltage
Nominal AC input voltage of the transformer.
Unit: V
voltage at maximum power point at STC
Module voltage at the maximum power point under STC.
maximum MPPT voltage
Maximum DC voltage for MPPT tracking.
minimum MPPT voltage
Minimum DC voltage for MPPT tracking.
nominal MPPT voltage
Nominal DC voltage for MPPT tracking.
open-circuit voltage at STC
Module open-circuit voltage at Standard Test Conditions.
nominal output voltage
Nominal AC output voltage of the transformer.
nominal AC output voltage
Nominal AC output voltage of the inverter.
vertex count
Number of vertices in the triangulated terrain surface mesh.