Virto Solar made its first appearance as an exhibitor at Intersolar South America, held from August 25–27 in São Paulo, with a focus on Brazil and the Latin American market. At its booth, the company presented its software ecosystem for the design and development of PV projects, with particular attention to utility-scale projects on complex terrain and the integration of energy storage.

During the event, Review Energy spoke with Katharina Lopes Roberto, Account Executive at Virto Solar, who explained that exhibiting at the show provided an opportunity to get closer to EPC contractors and project developers and gain a better understanding of market trends across the region.

“We see the region as a market with huge potential,” Lopes said, highlighting the importance of being on the ground to understand first-hand the needs of professionals developing solar projects.

Designing for complex terrain

One of the challenges Virto Solar identifies in Brazil and Latin America more broadly is the complexity of terrain in ground-mounted projects. Working in these conditions can involve repetitive tasks and require additional engineering work.

In this context, Virto.CAD is designed to optimize project layouts and automate tasks that would traditionally be carried out manually. The tool includes cut and fill analysis and piling optimization functionalities, allowing users to assess how to adapt a design to terrain conditions and optimize the arrangement of structures and piles.

“When you have very difficult terrain to work with, our tools help you better understand what changes you can make to the terrain, or how you can optimize the piling situation,” the executive explained.

The aim, she added, is to achieve more efficient designs and facilitate the transition towards construction.

BESS gains weight in the company’s roadmap

Energy storage was another focus of the conversation. Lopes explained that BESS has been one of Virto Solar’s main areas of focus for around a year and will remain part of its roadmap.

The functionality is already integrated into both Virto.MAX and Virto.CAD, although development is still at an initial stage. The strategy now is to continue investing in these capabilities and deepen the company’s understanding of the storage market and its needs.

Virto.MAX works as a cloud-based application for preliminary design, while Virto.CAD allows users to move into a more detailed engineering environment. Both are connected: projects developed in Virto.MAX can be exported to DWG and further developed in Virto.CAD, without having to start the design from scratch.

Towards a connected ecosystem

This connection is part of a broader vision. Virto Solar’s ecosystem also includes Virto.CORE, which is focused on configuration and structural engineering for solar manufacturers and wholesalers, alongside the tools aimed directly at project development.

The company aims to connect the different stages of the workflow, from preliminary design to detailed engineering, while continuing to expand the capabilities of its platforms.

“We are very focused in our R&D department on understanding market trends,” Lopes said, noting that direct contact with users also helps identify new needs and improve the software.

The long-term ambition is to expand this ecosystem and bring together the tools an EPC needs to develop a project from start to finish within one connected environment. For Virto Solar, its experience at Intersolar South America provided an opportunity to get closer to these users and better understand what the Latin American market needs.