80% more efficient solar design with AutoCAD

By connecting early-stage and detailed design inside AutoCAD, Zimmermann streamlined collaboration across teams, standardized processes, and turned time savings into measurable ROI.

In a recent webinar, Jonas Žemaitaitis, Head of Technical Support at PVcase, broke down Zimmermann’s process to reach this level of efficiency. Watch it to learn how to eliminate redesigns and shorten project timelines immediately.

Solar development has entered a new phase of maturity. Pipelines are expanding worldwide, yet soft costs now account for more than half of total project CAPEX. At the same time, timelines are becoming increasingly tight, and design teams are under pressure to deliver more with fewer resources.

For many developers, early design remains a manual, disconnected process. Engineers work with various tools, often recreating layouts and adjusting geometry manually. At minimum, “draft-to-final” gap consumes up to 30% of design time — and in large organizations, that quickly translates into thousands of lost hours each year.

That’s why leading teams are rethinking how they use AutoCAD for solar PV design, turning it from a generic drawing environment into a complete solar-specific workspace.

Zimmerman’s challenge was scale. With projects spanning more than ten countries, its engineering teams needed a faster way to adapt layouts to different terrains and client specifications. Repetitive geometry, layout adjustments, and terrain corrections were draining valuable time and slowing down delivery.

By adopting PVcase Ground Mount, Zimmermann extended AutoCAD for solar with purpose-built automation. Instead of starting from scratch, their teams now reuse early drafts directly in final layouts.

The results:

• 80% faster design cycles — automated functions have taken over repetitive layout and geometry tasks.

• 50% shorter project timelines — early drafts now flow seamlessly into final deliverables.

• ROI in less than two weeks — time savings alone covered the investment.

As Jonas Žemaitaitis put it:

“You’re competing in a different bracket when you’re running on PVcase time.”

AutoCAD remains a trusted foundation for solar designers because it offers precision, data control, and compatibility across various engineering disciplines. Most EPCs, consultants, and developers already rely on it for mechanical and electrical documentation.

Yet, traditional AutoCAD lacks solar-specific capabilities. Engineers still spend hours handling:

• Module and frame alignment on complex terrain.

• Electrical stringing and trench design.

• Cable routing and bill-of-materials updates.

• Manual data consistency between project stages.

PVcase Ground Mount closes this gap by embedding solar-specific logic directly into AutoCAD. Engineers can automatically adjust layouts, string configurations, and trench runs — all while keeping native CAD flexibility and control.

The outcome is not just faster work, but a repeatable, scalable design process that large organizations can roll out across multiple teams and geographies.

If your teams are redrawing layouts for every project, outsourcing detailed design, or struggling to maintain accuracy between preliminary and construction stages, it’s time to move to an AutoCAD solar design workflow.

By integrating early-stage and detailed design inside AutoCAD, you eliminate the disconnect between concept and execution. That’s how companies like Zimmermann cut waste, improve collaboration, and gain measurable business value.

For large organizations, every minute saved in design compounds across departments. PVcase empowers teams to standardize workflows, reduce manual rework, and build data-driven solar layouts faster — all within AutoCAD.

The combination of AutoCAD and PVcase Ground Mount provides engineering leaders with a single, reliable environment for solar design, connecting mechanical, electrical, and civil disciplines while maintaining full CAD control.

Zimmermann’s results prove the extent to which automation can lead to measurable efficiency:

• 80% faster design cycles

• 50% shorter project timelines

• Full ROI in two weeks