Chile’s solar proposals divide cleanly into two documents that share almost nothing. A netbilling proposal for a business rooftop is a self-consumption savings case. A PMGD proposal is a project finance document with a price arrangement, a curtailment risk, and a twenty-year horizon. Using one template for both, which happens more than it should, produces a document that serves neither buyer.
Direct answer. The best solar proposal software in Chile depends on the regime. For netbilling self-consumption projects, SurgePV or a model built on hourly generation output, because the case rests on matching a commercial load. For PMGD, a purpose-built financial model over PVsyst output, because no packaged proposal tool models the price arrangement or the curtailment exposure.
TL;DR
- Two regimes, two completely different proposals. Establish which applies before writing anything.
- Netbilling credits surplus below retail, so self-consumption carries the commercial case.
- PMGD proposals are project finance documents and belong in a spreadsheet, not a proposal tool.
- Curtailment and price decoupling in northern zones are real risks that belong in the numbers.
- Soiling and cleaning cost belong in the operating expense, not hidden in a low loss assumption.
What Chile Actually Changes About Proposal Software
The regime decides the document. Under Ley 21.118, a self-consumption installation exports surplus for netbilling credit at a rate below retail, which makes the proposal a savings case built on the customer’s load profile. Under PMGD, the project sells into the distribution network under its own price arrangement, which makes the proposal an investment case with revenue, operating cost, and risk. These are not variations on a theme.
Netbilling favours self-consumption. Because surplus is credited below the retail price, the value sits in energy the customer uses directly. For a Chilean commercial customer operating during daylight, the self-consumption share can be very high, and that is the number to lead with.
PMGD carries price and curtailment risk. Projects in transmission-constrained northern zones have faced curtailment and periods of very low realised prices. A PMGD proposal that models a flat price across twenty years without addressing this is presenting a best case as a base case, and an investor will find it.
Soiling costs money in the north. Where rainfall is effectively absent, cleaning is an ongoing operating cost, and the yield assumption depends on it. Carrying the cleaning cost explicitly in the operating expense is more credible than a low soiling assumption with no cleaning budget behind it.
High irradiance raises expectations. Chilean customers know their solar resource is exceptional. That makes an over-optimistic yield claim easy to make and, at the same time, makes any shortfall against it more visible.
The Platforms Ranked for Chile
| Platform | Best for | Netbilling modelling | PMGD financial modelling | Design output | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurgePV | Netbilling commercial proposals | Configurable | No | Full, with DWG | $1,299 to $1,899 |
| PVsyst plus financial model | PMGD and utility cases | Manual | Fully manual | Yield only | ~$500 plus time |
| HelioScope | Fast C&I layout and yield | Manual | No | Layout only | ~$1,188 |
| Excel over hourly output | Bespoke PMGD structures | Manual | Fully manual | None | Time |
| Aurora Solar | Larger commercial-facing teams | Configurable | No | Good | $1,908 to $3,108 |
| HOMER Pro | Mining and off-grid hybrids | Manual | Partial | No | Licence-based |
| OpenSolar | Small residential volume | Configurable | No | Basic | $0 plus transaction fees |
SurgePV fits the netbilling commercial case: hourly generation against load, string design, the single-line diagram, and the customer document from one model. Technical detail in best solar design software in Chile.
PVsyst with a purpose-built financial model is how PMGD cases are properly built, because the revenue arrangement and curtailment exposure are bespoke. See PVsyst price.
HOMER Pro is relevant to Chile’s mining sector where hybrid configurations are common. See HOMER Pro vs PVsyst.
Try the software behind this guide
Build the netbilling case on a real load curve
SurgePV models 8,760 hours of generation with configurable soiling against the customer load, and produces the single-line diagram plus a white-label proposal from one model.
Book a free SurgePV demo →No credit card. 20-minute walkthrough on one of your own projects.
What a Chilean Proposal Has to Contain
- Regime stated explicitly, netbilling under Ley 21.118 or PMGD.
- System specification with array capacity, inverter selection, and mounting type.
- Generation estimate with the meteorological data source named and its provenance explained.
- Soiling loss and cleaning frequency stated together, with the cleaning cost in the operating expense.
- Self-consumption share for netbilling projects, modelled hourly against the customer load.
- Surplus treatment at the netbilling credit rate, not at retail.
- Revenue and price arrangement for PMGD projects, with curtailment and price risk addressed.
- Structural position covering wind and seismic design of the mounting system.
- Declaration and connection timeline through the SEC and the distribution company.
Item 3 deserves more attention in Chile than elsewhere. Because the resource is exceptional, the difference between a generic dataset and a validated one is large in absolute terms, and a sophisticated buyer will ask where the number came from.
Pricing in Chilean Pesos
| Stack | USD per year | Approx. CLP at 950 | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | $0 plus fees | Transaction-linked | Small residential proposal |
| PVsyst | ~$500 | ~475,000 | Yield, no proposal |
| HelioScope | ~$1,188 | ~1,128,600 | Layout and yield |
| SurgePV | $1,299 to $1,899 | ~1,234,050 to 1,804,050 | Proposal plus design and SLD |
| Aurora | $1,908 to $3,108 | ~1,812,600 to 2,952,600 | Proposal plus design |
Exchange rate is illustrative.
What Most Chilean Developers Get Wrong
They present a PMGD project at a flat price for twenty years.
Price decoupling and curtailment in constrained northern zones have been persistent enough that a flat-price model is not a base case, it is an optimistic scenario. Investors who have watched projects underperform against exactly that assumption now discount proposals that make it. The credible approach models a price scenario range, quantifies curtailment exposure by zone, and shows the downside case alongside the base. It produces a lower headline return and a far more fundable document.
The second mistake, on netbilling work, is quoting surplus at retail. Netbilling credits surplus below the retail price, so a large array on a customer with modest daytime load returns much less than the generation figure suggests.
When Proposal Software Is Not the Constraint
Chilean projects at scale are engineering exercises: terrain-aware layout, seismic and wind design, foundation design against local geotechnical data, and owner’s engineer support.
Our solar ground mount design, site survey and land feasibility, STAAD Pro report calculations, and MW-scale project management consultancy services cover that. See our projects or talk to our team.
Conclusion
- Write the proposal the regime calls for. A netbilling savings case and a PMGD investment case are different documents.
- Model curtailment and price risk on PMGD. A flat twenty-year price is an optimistic scenario, not a base case.
- Explain where the yield data came from. At Chilean irradiance levels the provenance of the dataset matters.
In this country series: solar software in Chile, best solar design software in Chile, shading analysis software in Chile, Pvsyst review. Tool deep dives: Helioscope review, Aurora Solar review.
More from our network
Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best solar proposal software in Chile? SurgePV or a model built on hourly generation output for netbilling self-consumption projects, and a purpose-built financial model over PVsyst output for PMGD, where no packaged tool models the price arrangement.
How does netbilling affect the proposal? Surplus is credited below the retail price, so the value sits in self-consumption. A proposal crediting surplus at retail overstates the return, particularly for customers with modest daytime load.
Why do PMGD proposals need a bespoke model? Because they are investment cases with a specific price arrangement, operating costs, and curtailment exposure over a long horizon. Packaged proposal tools model none of that.
Should curtailment risk be in the proposal? Yes, for projects in transmission-constrained northern zones. Curtailment and price decoupling have been persistent enough that ignoring them presents a best case as a base case.
How should soiling be presented? As an explicit loss tied to a stated cleaning frequency, with the cleaning cost carried in the operating expense. Northern Chile receives effectively no rainfall.
How much does solar proposal software cost in Chile? From 0 pesos with OpenSolar’s transaction model to roughly 2,950,000 pesos per user per year at Aurora’s higher tiers. Cross-platform math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
What about the design software decision separately? Covered in best solar design software in Chile.
