Just one hour of sunlight has enough energy to meet global demand for one year. Unfortunately, solar panels only capture 20% of the potential energy they receive—but mathematical optimization can help maximize the effectiveness and safety of each system.
Levasoft is a custom software developer focused on photovoltaic (PV) systems. Their most popular product is Solar Pro Tool, a software that helps solar companies plan and design rooftop PV systems in Europe and beyond.
At the 2025 Gurobi Summit in Vienna, Florian Maxner, Head of SPT Projects at Levasoft, spoke to attendees about how Gurobi powers key pieces of the Solar Pro Tool, helping them propel the transition to renewables.
PV Systems: Where Optimization Is Mandatory
The uninitiated may think that rooftop solar panel racking is simple—but that is only true when the roof is perfectly square, the structure is sound, money is no object, and all other conditions are ideal. And no structure meets those requirements.
Every roof is unique, so every installation must be tailored to the roof’s condition and materials, local regulations, and weather patterns. Improperly designed PV systems are a liability. Sub-optimal racking could fall off the roof, potentially damaging property or causing injuries.
At the same time, competition is fierce in the solar industry. Structural constraints keep companies small, meaning there are many firms vying for the same customers. A single poor design can ruin an enterprise's reputation.
Because of this complexity and competition, “good enough” is not good enough for PV systems. As Maxner explains, “Structural safety requires exact solutions, not just approximations. And the better you are at pushing the boundaries of your system, the more likely you are to succeed and to win the market over.”
Neural networks, heuristics, and different artificial intelligence tools leave too much room for error. Firms who want to last in the PV industry need mathematical optimization.
Embracing Wrappers for Quality Control
Levasoft’s customers must develop optimal designs, and they rely on the Solar Pro Tool to do so. But these clients—and most Levasoft employees—are not optimization experts. So Levasoft needed a way to help both groups leverage optimization effectively. They used wrappers.
Only one or two people on Levasoft’s 60-person staff actively work on developing Gurobi models. The rest use the library to include the correct optimization functions in their client’s tools. During the training process, new hires learn how to correctly use the library's tools and to collaborate with the company's in-house Gurobi experts and other team members when model complexity exceeds their current skill level, fostering a culture of continuous knowledge-sharing across the team.
On the client side, Solar Pro Tool facilitates their interaction with Gurobi. As the customer inputs details about the roof, Solar Pro Tool transforms the information into objective functions and constraints on the back end. This approach lets Levasoft ensure quality control while giving their staff and customers the flexibility and customization they need to be effective.
Optimizing the Path to Renewable Energy
Levasoft wants to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy. With the Solar Pro Tool and Gurobi, its customers will make that vision a reality.
Want to learn more about how Levasoft uses wrappers to ensure quality control at scale? Download their presentation here.
