Solar Advisor Model

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP), developed the Solar Advisor Model (SAM), a comprehensive solar technology systems analysis model, to support the implementation of the Program's SAI and program planning. Use of the SAM software, together with technology and cost benchmarking, market penetration analysis, and other relevant considerations, supports development of program priorities and direction, and the subsequent investment needed to support R&D activities.

SAM allows users to investigate the impact of variations in physical, cost, and financial parameters to better understand their impact on key figures of merit. Figures of merit related to the cost and performance of these systems include, but aren't limited to:

System output
Peak and annual system efficiency
Levelized cost of electricity
System capital and operating and maintenance (O&M) costs

Download SAM

Newer versions of SAM (Version 1.0 and higher) can be downloaded for free at www.nrel.gov/analysis/sam. The new version is not backwards compatible with the initial SAI version. The new version continues to be enhanced and improved for photovoltaic and other solar technologies.

SAM User Manual and Support

Download the SAM user's manual (PDF 1.9 MB). Download Adobe Reader. If you have questions about SAM, please contact SAM Support.

For SAI Version of SAM

System requirements for the download and use of SAM: A computer running Windows XP or 2000 with 400 MB of free disk space.

This is an updated version of the model posted August 7, 2006. The update replaces all previous versions of the software and addresses several issues identified by the SAM development team. A copy of the user guide is included in the installation and will be saved in the SAM folder.

The link above directs you first to a simple registration page then launches an installation wizard that will install SAM on your computer. Registration information will be used only for notifying you about software updates and other SAM-related announcements. After registering, please follow the instructions in the installation wizard to complete your installation.

You may also download the SAM user's manual. Please refer to the manual for program use guidelines. (PDF 1.9 MB) Download Adobe Reader.

For questions and issues not addressed by the user's manual, please e-mail SAM Support. SAM Support will respond to your query directly via e-mail. In addition, all questions and answers will be posted (without attribution) to this site to ensure equal access to information related to SAM use. Please refer to the user's manual for issue resolution before contacting SAM Support.