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Orkestra Alternative: SolarPlus for C&I Solar and Battery Design, Sales and Delivery
SolarPlus vs Orkestra
SolarPlus is a commercial and industrial solar design and sales platform used as an alternative to Orkestra by teams who want feasibility, financial modelling and battery analysis in the same tool that draws the panel layout, engineers the electrical design, produces the quote and manages the installation. Orkestra is a financial analysis and modelling platform. It models the commercial case in depth, but it does not design the physical system. The two overlap on feasibility and diverge after it.
The question for most C&I teams is whether they primarily need an advanced energy and investment analysis platform, or want the project to continue from feasibility into detailed design, sale and installation in the same system. Because Orkestra has no physical design engine, the two are often complementary rather than alternatives: some teams model the deal in Orkestra and design and deliver it in SolarPlus.
Book a Demo
Book a one-on-one demonstration with a SolarPlus engineer who will take you through a live commercial project and answer any questions you might have.
Choose SolarPlus if
- You want to move from feasibility into panel layout, system configuration, stringing and electrical design without rebuilding the project in another platform.
- Your designers, salespeople and installers need to work from the same project data.
- You want tariff, battery and financial modelling connected to the actual system being designed and quoted.
- You want proposal generation, CRM, pricing, customer acceptance through to Bill of Materials, and installation documentation in one workflow.
- You design a mix of commercial, residential, hybrid and off-grid projects rather than working only in C&I energy analysis.
- You want multiple designer, sales and admin accounts without moving to a per-seat licensing model.
Where Orkestra may suit you better
- Your primary requirement is C&I feasibility and financial analysis that does not continue into physical and electrical design.
- You need multi-stakeholder commercial structures such as PPAs, leases and VPP arrangements, with costs and revenues allocated between parties.
- FCAS, capacity markets or other energy-market revenue streams form an important part of the investment case.
- Your team aren’t looking to replace HelioScope or PVsyst with SolarPlus and you want a separate financial and energy-analysis layer around them.
See it on your own project
Book a demonstration and we will run one of your commercial sites through feasibility, design, battery modelling and a proposal in a single session.
SolarPlus and Orkestra compared
| SolarPlus | Orkestra | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Integrated C&I solar feasibility, financial modelling, physical and electrical design, quoting, proposals and project delivery | C&I feasibility, financial modelling and commercial structuring |
| Typical workflow | Assess, optimise, design, engineer, price, propose, sell, install | Assess, optimise, structure the commercial model, propose |
| Interval meter data | Upload in a range of formats including NEM12 and NEM13, accepted down to one-minute intervals and processed at five minutes | Load-data upload including NEM12 and single-column formats |
| Bill data extraction | Configurable energy assessment from customer data | Bill Scan AI extracts billing data from an uploaded PDF bill |
| Feasibility analysis | Feasibility Assessment prices and ranks solar-and-battery size combinations against real consumption and tariff by NPV, payback, IRR, LCoE or self-sufficiency, up to 1,200 combinations per run | Multi-scenario feasibility with up to 250 technology configurations per scenario. A core strength |
| Solar sizing optimisation | Feasibility engine tests solar and storage ranges against load, tariffs and financial constraints | Solution Finder combines solar sizes, battery options and tariffs to identify preferred solutions |
| Physical PV layout | Map-based panel layout on multiple aerial imagery sources | Not a documented feature |
| 3D solar design | 3D roof, terrain, obstruction and panel modelling with customer-facing visualisation | Not a documented feature |
| Shading analysis | Physics-based ray-traced shading against the 3D scene, loss assessed per diode zone | Not a documented feature |
| Automated electrical design | Auto-Design generates and scores candidate panel, string and inverter configurations | Not a documented feature |
| Stringing | Automated string sizing and configuration | Not a documented feature |
| Electrical design and single-line diagram | Editable single-line diagram with topology, protection and integrated cable design linked to the system | Not a documented feature |
| Cable and compliance checks | AC and DC voltage-rise and loss calculations, string overcurrent checks and battery arc-flash calculation | Not a documented feature |
| PV production modelling | Module-level performance engine from the physical design, Meteonorm V9, five-minute step | Solar production estimated from resources or imported |
| External production import | Import PVsyst, HelioScope or PVWatts production (four-column CSV) and continue with battery, tariff and financial modelling | Imports HelioScope, PVWatts and PVsyst data |
| Commercial tariff modelling | Demand charges, time-of-use, seasonal, network, retail, fixed and market-linked charges, with before-and-after comparison | Utility-grade tariff modelling for Australia and New Zealand, with extensive preloaded tariff data |
| Tariff comparison | Compare alternative electricity plans within the project case | Integrated tariff comparison |
| Battery modelling | Grid-connect, hybrid, backup and off-grid; peak shaving, grid charging, arbitrage and export, at five-minute dispatch detail | Rules-based and linear-optimisation battery control |
| Battery optimisation | Battery and feasibility optimisers test sizes and operating strategies against project economics | Tests many configurations and can optimise dispatch and commercial outcomes |
| Demand-charge reduction | Peak-shaving against monthly demand thresholds, with dual-mode consumption and shaving models | Included in behind-the-meter financial modelling |
| Backup and outage analysis | Backup, hybrid and off-grid modelling, worst-case multi-day periods and user-defined outages | Backup power and outage modelling included |
| Generator modelling | On-grid and off-grid diesel generator modelling with runtime and fuel analysis | Backup power modelled; genset dispatch and fuel modelling not a documented feature |
| Wholesale energy pricing | Market-linked tariffs and price-responsive battery dispatch using retrieved NEM/WEM history or imported prices | Electricity-market arbitrage with historical and forecast market datasets (Endgame Economics NEM forecasts) |
| FCAS and ancillary markets | Not a focus. SolarPlus concentrates on behind-the-meter project economics | Explicit frequency-market modelling including Australian FCAS and UK capacity markets |
| EV and changing loads | Smart Energy Simulator models EV charging, load shifting and hot-water diversion | EV chargers and site adjustments included in feasibility scenarios |
| Financial analysis | Payback, NPV, IRR, LCoE and year-by-year lifetime cashflow, with escalation, degradation, maintenance and replacement | NPV, IRR, payback, earnings and cashflow |
| Finance structures | Cash, finance, lease, rental and PPA | PPA a particular focus, with dedicated functionality |
| Multi-stakeholder financial models | Models customer and project economics and common finance structures | Business Model Builder allocates costs and revenues between multiple stakeholders |
| Financial goal optimisation | Feasibility optimises system selection against financial objectives including NPV | Goalfind optimises variables within commercial structures against IRR, NPV and payback |
| Proposals | Fully customisable branded PDF and interactive online proposals generated from the design and financial model | Shareable branded analysis; custom sales and business-model proposals on higher tiers |
| Side-by-side customer comparison | Multiple quoted designs presented together for customer selection and acceptance | Scenario comparison within the analysis; single-analysis customer reports |
| Online acceptance and payment | Customer acceptance, card payment and finance workflow | Not a documented sales workflow |
| CRM and sales pipeline | Built-in CRM covering enquiry, quote, sale and installation | Not positioned as an end-to-end EPC CRM |
| System pricing and margin | Package pricing, formula-based costing, extras and project-margin calculation | Project financial costs modelled; EPC quote-building is not the primary function |
| Sales invoicing | Order and invoice with payments and Xero sync | Not a documented feature |
| Installation management | Install scheduling, job tracking, site packs, commissioning and handover | Not an EPC installation-management platform |
| Compliance and handover documents | JSA/SWMS, install packs, connection information, commissioning and owner handover documentation | Not a documented Orkestra workflow |
| Markets | Worldwide, with tariffs, compliance and imagery configured per market | Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Germany, with localised datasets |
| Users and licensing | Quoting-volume plans include 5, 10 or unlimited designer accounts by tier | Plan tiers (Starter, Analyse, Sell) include 3 users; Enterprise negotiable |
| Project allowance | No project-count limit; plans based on total quoted capacity averaged over three months | Starter includes 3 projects; Analyse, Sell and Enterprise unlimited under fair use |
| Published pricing | Public monthly and annual plan pricing | No published pricing; a trial is required to view it |
| Best suited to | Solar EPCs, installers and C&I teams wanting one platform from feasibility through design, sale and handover | C&I developers, consultants, ESCOs, financiers and asset owners focused on feasibility, commercial structuring and investment analysis |
Orkestra features in this table verified from orkestra.energy (Plan and Subscriptions pages) on 9 September 2026. SolarPlus features from solarplus.co and the SolarPlus product reference. Both platforms should be rechecked quarterly.
How the two are licensed
SolarPlus and Orkestra are licensed on different principles.
SolarPlus meters quoting volume rather than seats. Designer accounts are included in the plan, there is no limit on the number of projects, and no cap on the size of any single project. Plan tiers reflect how much quoting a business does over a rolling three-month period, and every feature is available on every plan. What changes between tiers is the monthly quoting allowance and the number of designer accounts: five on the entry plan, ten plus free installer access on the mid tier, and unlimited above that.
Orkestra licenses per subscription. Each subscription is one team with three users included, across the Starter, Analyse and Sell tiers, with additional users available for a fee and user numbers negotiable on Enterprise. Capability is tiered. Starter is limited to three projects a year; Analyse adds unlimited projects, custom branding and shareable analysis; Sell adds the Business Model Builder, Goalfind and custom sales proposals; Enterprise adds single sign-on, API access and priority support. Orkestra does not publish pricing, so a figure is only visible after starting a trial.
SolarPlus includes every feature on every plan and scales with quoting volume rather than head count. Orkestra includes a fixed three users per subscription and puts its higher-value features, including its commercial-structuring tools, on its upper tiers.
What SolarPlus does that Orkestra does not
The physical solar system is designed in the same platform
SolarPlus maps roofs and usable areas on high-resolution aerial imagery, positions panels, and builds a 3D scene of the building, terrain and obstructions. Orkestra has no panel-layout tool. It models the system as a size and a set of assumptions rather than a drawn array.
Shading is calculated from a 3D scene, not assumed
SolarPlus casts simulated sun rays against a 3D model of roof geometry, panels, trees and terrain, and assesses loss per diode zone before coupling it into the yield calculation. Orkestra does not model shading from a physical scene.
Auto-Design generates and scores electrical configurations
SolarPlus reads the placed layout and generates several candidate string and inverter configurations, scoring each on panel utilisation, row-aligned stringing, balanced inverter loading and avoidance of unnecessary string overcurrent protection. Orkestra does not perform electrical design.
The single-line diagram is editable and linked to the design
SolarPlus turns the system into an editable single-line diagram, with topology, protection placement and cable design that update as the layout changes, and runs AC and DC voltage-rise, string overcurrent and battery arc-flash checks. None of this exists in Orkestra.
Generators are modelled on-grid and off-
SolarPlus models diesel generators for outage backup, generator-supported peak shaving and full hybrid operation alongside solar, storage and the grid, with runtime and fuel analysis. Orkestra models backup power but does not document genset dispatch or fuel modelling.
The quote, proposal and payment come out of the design
SolarPlus generates branded proposals from the design and financial model, presents several options side by side for the customer to choose from, and takes online acceptance with card payment and finance. Orkestra produces shareable analysis and, on its upper tiers, custom proposals, but it is not built as an end-to-end sales and acceptance workflow.
CRM, invoicing and installation run in the same system
SolarPlus includes a CRM covering enquiry, quote, sale and install, order and invoice with Xero sync, job tracking, commissioning and owner handover documentation. Orkestra is not positioned as an EPC CRM or an installation-management platform.
What SolarPlus does not do
Five things sit outside what SolarPlus does, and on several of them Orkestra is the stronger tool.
- Single-axis trackers. SolarPlus does not model tracking systems. Fixed-tilt ground mount is well covered, including reverse tilt and 1, 2 and 3-up configurations, but tracker-based work sits outside it.
- Very large arrays on modest hardware. SolarPlus renders arrays locally, so a capable machine matters at the top of the range. A laptop handles up to around 3 MW and a well-specified desktop up to 8 MW, which covers C&I comfortably. Utility-scale work on a low-specification machine is not what it is built for.
- P95 and P99 exceedance. SolarPlus reports P50 and P90 from inter-annual variability and carries P90 into the lifetime return calculation. If a financier specifies P95 or P99 on the production figure, that is outside what it reports.
- Multi-party commercial structuring. SolarPlus models the customer and project economics and the standard finance structures: cash, finance, lease, rental and PPA. It does not allocate costs and revenues across multiple stakeholders or optimise a business model between financier, provider and customer the way Orkestra’s Business Model Builder and Goalfind do. Where a project turns on how the deal is structured between parties, Orkestra goes further.
- Energy-market revenue stacking. SolarPlus concentrates on the behind-the-meter case for the site. It is not built around wholesale energy-market or frequency-market revenue stacking the way a specialist financial platform like Orkestra is.
Markets and coverage
SolarPlus is used by installers, engineers and developers worldwide, across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Tariff structures, compliance guidance and imagery sources are configured per market, and the platform carries a metric and imperial units toggle throughout. Support teams in South-east Asia, South Africa and Central America cover every time zone.
Orkestra is an Australian company that now models projects in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany, with localised load, tariff, market and resource datasets for those markets. Its deepest tariff automation is in Australia and New Zealand. It is not an Australia-only tool.
Switching and onboarding
There is little to migrate when you move to or add SolarPlus, because Orkestra does not produce a physical design to bring across. If your team runs feasibility in Orkestra today, you can keep structuring deals there and use SolarPlus for the design, quoting and delivery, or run the whole project in SolarPlus from meter data through to handover. Where a yield report already exists from PVsyst, HelioScope or PVWatts, SolarPlus imports it through a four-column CSV so battery, tariff and financial modelling continue on that production without redrawing the array.
Getting started is mostly setup rather than training: populating your equipment list, setting up pricing and building the system packages you quote from. Onboarding does that with you.
| QuickStart | KickStart | |
|---|---|---|
| Training | 90 minutes, one-to-one online | Three hours across two sessions |
| Inventory built for you | Up to 60 components and quoting items | Up to 150 components and quoting items |
| Priced system packages | Up to 8 | Up to 20 |
| Branding | Logo and company profile applied | Logo and company profile applied |
| Proposal template | Standard templates | One template customised |
| Also included | Onboarding video series | Priority support in the first month |
QuickStart covers 90 minutes of one-to-one online training, your inventory populated with up to 60 components and quoting items, up to eight priced system packages and your branding applied. KickStart runs to three hours across two sessions, 150 components, 20 priced system packages and one customised proposal template. Custom onboarding adds separate online sessions for design, install and sales teams. All onboarding and training is delivered online by the SolarPlus support team across all time zones, so it does not have to be scheduled around Australian business hours. A self-guided path is available at no cost. Designers arriving from another modelling platform are ready to build their first system straight after the 90-minute QuickStart session.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Orkestra?
It depends on what you need Orkestra to do. If you need the feasibility and financial case to continue into physical design, electrical engineering, quoting and installation, SolarPlus covers all of that in one platform. If you need multi-party commercial structuring or energy-market revenue modelling, Orkestra's upper Plan tiers are built for that. Many C&I teams use both.
Is SolarPlus a feasibility tool like Orkestra?
Yes. SolarPlus includes a feasibility engine that prices and ranks solar-and-battery size combinations against a site's real consumption and tariff, by NPV, payback, IRR, LCoE or self-sufficiency. Unlike Orkestra, it then carries the chosen system into panel layout, electrical design, quoting and installation without rebuilding the project.
Does Orkestra design the physical solar system?
No. Orkestra is a financial analysis and modelling platform. It models solar, battery and tariff scenarios and the commercial case, but it has no panel-layout, shading, stringing or electrical-design tools. The physical and electrical design is done in a separate platform such as SolarPlus, HelioScope or PVsyst.
Can SolarPlus and Orkestra be used together?
Yes. Because Orkestra does not design the physical system and SolarPlus does, the two are often complementary. A team can structure a deal in Orkestra and design, quote and deliver it in SolarPlus, or run the whole project in SolarPlus from meter data through to handover.
Does SolarPlus model batteries and tariffs as well as Orkestra?
For behind-the-meter projects, yes. SolarPlus models grid-connect, hybrid, backup and off-grid storage with peak shaving, grid charging, arbitrage and export, at five-minute resolution, against commercial demand, time-of-use and market-linked tariffs. Orkestra goes further on energy-market revenue and multi-party commercial structures; SolarPlus connects the battery case to the designed system and the quote and completes the business case proposal.
Does SolarPlus model wholesale energy-market prices and battery trading?
Yes. SolarPlus models market-linked electricity plans at settlement resolution, retrieving up to three years of NEM and WEM price history in Australia or using imported prices in other markets, and dispatches the battery across an editable 24 to 72 hour lookahead. Frequency-market and capacity-market revenue, such as FCAS, is where a specialist financial platform like Orkestra goes further.
How are SolarPlus and Orkestra priced?
SolarPlus publishes monthly and annual pricing and meters quoting volume, with designer accounts included and no limit on the number or size of projects. Orkestra does not publish pricing; a figure is visible after starting a trial. Orkestra includes three users per subscription across its Starter, Analyse and Sell tiers, and tiers its capability so that its commercial-structuring tools sit on the upper tiers.
How many users do I get?
SolarPlus includes five designer accounts on its entry plan, ten plus free installer access on the mid tier, and unlimited above that, because it meters quoting volume rather than seats. Orkestra includes three users per subscription across Starter, Analyse and Sell, with additional users available for a fee and user numbers negotiable on Enterprise.
Can I model multi-party PPAs in SolarPlus?
SolarPlus supports PPA, lease, rental, finance and cash structures in its financial model, generated from the designed system. It does not allocate costs and revenues across multiple stakeholders or optimise a business model between financier, provider and customer. That multi-party structuring is a specific strength of Orkestra's Business Model Builder and Goalfind.
Does SolarPlus track asset performance after installation?
SolarPlus covers project delivery, commissioning and owner handover documentation. Ongoing monitoring of live generation and financial performance across a portfolio after commissioning is a separate category of tool and sits outside what SolarPlus does.
What markets does Orkestra work in?
Orkestra is an Australian company that models projects in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany, with localised datasets for those markets. Its deepest tariff automation is in Australia and New Zealand. SolarPlus is used worldwide, with tariffs, compliance and imagery configured per market.
What is the largest system I can design in SolarPlus?
There is no licensing cap on project size, so the practical limit is your hardware. A capable laptop handles systems up to around 3 MW, and a higher-specification desktop up to 8 MW, which covers C&I comfortably. Central-inverter designs may reach 15 MW, since single-MPPT central inverters process faster than multi-MPPT inverters or module-level electronics. Any battery size can be modelled and any size PV production can be modelled and imported, eg. from PVsyst. Orkestra places no design limit because it does not draw the array; it models the system as a size rather than a layout.
Does SolarPlus produce single-line diagrams and electrical design?
Yes. SolarPlus generates an editable single-line diagram from the system configuration, with topology, protection placement and cable design that update with the layout, plus AC and DC voltage-rise, string overcurrent and battery arc-flash checks. Orkestra has no electrical-design tools.
How long does it take to get running on SolarPlus?
Designers arriving from another platform are ready to build their first system straight after a single 90-minute QuickStart session. The setup work is populating your equipment list, pricing and system packages, which onboarding does with you. A self-guided path is available if you prefer to set up the account yourself.
Compare them on your own site
If you are weighing SolarPlus against Orkestra, the fastest way to decide is to see one of your commercial projects taken from feasibility through design, battery modelling and a proposal.
Why energy professionals love SolarPlus
"By using SolarPlus to design complex renewable solutions, our company has more than tripled its turnover in the past 12 months".
Dave Gregor
Union Power, South Africa
"SolarPlus helps us create impressive, professional proposals that build customer trust and convert more sales".
Tinus Lotz
Astra Energy, South Africa
"Knowing that my designs are valid, compliant and look professional makes SolarPlus a no-brainer."
Andrew Lindsay
Signature Solar, Australia
"I always recommend SolarPlus to anyone coming into the industry. It’s the best solution on the market, hands down"!
Steven Zilm
EnergyPlex, Australia
"SolarPlus has provided design accuracy and reliability and an easy-to-use workflow that has saved me a lot of time".
Quentin Bligh
The Natural Grid, Australia
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