Introduction

Most solar estimator tools assume a clear, unobstructed roof. This API answers a more practical question: how much does shading from the surroundings actually cut into expected output?

It combines historical irradiance data from NASA POWER, a baseline production estimate from PVWatts, and a simplified shading model based on a site's obstruction profile — to produce a more realistic energy estimate than a standard unobstructed calculation.

What you can do

• Manage sites with location, panel configuration, and horizon profile data
• Pull historical irradiance data for any coordinate and date range
• Get baseline PVWatts production estimates
• Calculate shading loss from a horizon profile
• Run a full shading-adjusted analysis combining all of the above

Authentication

Write endpoints (POST, PATCH, DELETE) require an API key passed via the x-api-key header. Request one from the API administrator.

Limitations

This is a simplified estimator, not a professional solar design tool — no 3D geometry, no per-panel modeling, and shading is estimated from a handful of sample days rather than a full 8,760-hour simulation. See the project README for the full list of intentional simplifications.