To add or create a new Solar collector follow these steps:
1. First go to the building level (if you
are not already there) and click on the Draw solar collector toolbar icon. 
.
2. Select the type of collector from the pop-up menu. For example to add a PV panel, select the Add solar collector - Photovoltaic option.
3. Position and draw the Solar collector in the way that you would a block when using the 2-Rectangle shape. The first click defines one corner (the bottom right say), the second click defines the diagonally opposite corner (top left say) and completes the placement.
The panel is effectively defined in 2-D, i.e. there is no option to define its depth.
You can draw the panel on an existing building block, component block or outline block surface or directly on the ground.
Note: In cases where a solar collector is placed on a building surface (e.g. on a pitched roof surface) it is not modelled as being thermally coupled with the underlying surface by default, but it does cast a shadow like any other block or shading surface.
PV panels can however be thermally coupled to the building using the BIPV tools, specifically using the Heat transfer integration mode for the Construction used for a surface below the panel.
4. You can edit the properties of the solar collector by first navigating to the Solar collector object by either double-clicking on the graphical object in the Layout screen or single-clicking on the item in the Navigator. For PV solar collectors you can define the panel performance and other properties on the Construction tab under the Solar Collector header.
5. The electrical side of the Photovoltaic collectors operation is defined on the HVAC tab under the Generation header.
The hot water, operation and control of Solar hot water collectors is defined with the Detailed HVAC data.
Note: PV systems can be modelled when using either Simple or Detailed HVAC but Solar hot water systems require Detailed HVAC.
When placing a solar panel, one face will usually be pointing upwards towards the sky and the other downwards towards the ground or the building. DesignBuilder automatically determines the "active" side as the one pointing upwards. The active face of the panel is displayed in blue for PV panels and in yellow for solar hot water panels, as shown below.
In some cases it may be necessary to change the active direction of a solar panel. For example, when the panel is placed vertically, or after it has been rotated to a new slope and the active face is pointing downwards. In such cases you can change the active side of the panel by holding the <Shift> key down and left-clicking with the mouse. This toggles the active face.
