Solcast

Solar Radiation Data (Product Page)

Real-time and forecast solar radiation data, worldwide via API
Using our proprietary cloud detection, aerosol tracking and prediction algorithms, we provide real-time and forecast availability of solar radiation around the world.

The data is updated every 5-15 minutes with each new satellite image, and instantly made available via our API services. Our live solar radiation data is available from real-time back through 7 days, and our forecast data extends out to 7 days ahead.

Free access to the data

Access to Our Solar Radiation Data
We offer three different ways to access live and forecast solar radiation data, and each are powered by the same Rapid Update cloud tracking and prediction system.

1. Solar Radiation Sites

For users who have an application with fixed locations, using the Sites API is best. This API comes with the added benefit of built-in accuracy assessment tools, and the ability to be linked to another site (e.g. a collocated Utility Scale site). Upon registration for the API Toolkit, your first Solar Radiation site is free.

Pricing starts at $50USD/month/site, with discounts applied for more than five sites.

2. Solar Radiation Sites (5, 10, and 15 minute resolution data)

For users who have who have fixed locations, and also require higher time resolution data, you can access 5, 10 or 15 minute time resolution at $99USD/month/site, with discounts applied for more than five sites. This data becomes available through the creation of a Utility Scale site in the API Toolkit

3. World Solar Radiation API

Instantly retrieve live or forecast data from anywhere in the world at 30-minute resolution using latitude and longitude. The World Solar Radiation API is best suited for users who need data from many locations or whose area of interest in continually changing (e.g. solar car), and who do not require high time resolution. This API still receives Rapid Update service, with new data flowing into the API with every satellite scan. Register for the API Toolkit and you’ll receive 1000 API calls to get started.

Pricing for the World Solar Radiation API starts at $370USD/per month for 10,000 API calls with each additional 10,000 API calls.
Specifications
In the table below are our indicative specifications. Once you’ve created your free API Toolkit account, you’ll be able to download our data for testing and review our detailed API documentation. Following the Specifications table, is an easy to use pricing calculator.

Read more about our Solar Radiation Data on our product page

Utility Scale product page

Rapid update solar power forecasts with global coverage

Satellite imagery, PV plant measurements and sky-imagers are what power the Solcast Utility Scale Solar Forecast product. We start with our proprietary cloud detection, aerosol tracking and prediction algorithms to continually refresh our global snapshot of the near-term and real-time availability of solar radiation at the solar farm location.

With some basic information about your solar farm asset, we can immediately begin producing live and forecast power output estimates. Then, we run PV power measurement data from your solar farm through machine learning algorithms (PV Tuning) which uniquely tailor the power forecasting models to the behaviour of your individual solar farm.

Finally, if the first few minutes of the prediction are of great importance, we offer an optional sky-imager add-on to track clouds and forecast the local conditions at your site for additional forecast accuracy and precision.

Set up your test site

Access to Utility Scale Solar Forecasts

Upon creation of your free API Toolkit account, you will be prompted to add some basic information about your solar farm. This includes the name, location, capacity and installation date. Once completed, this will trigger the creation of a new ‘site’ in our API system, which you can use to instantly retrieve both live (real-time back through 7 days) and forecast (present time to 7 days ahead) power output estimates. Both the live and forecast data are available at 5, 10, 15 and 30 minute time resolution, and include our built-in accuracy assessment tools. After you’ve created a site, you’ll also have the option to upload your plant measurements to leverage our PV Tuning technologies.

Your first Utility Scale site is free to create, with pricing starting from $99USD/month/site for additional sites, with discounts applied for more than five sites. Utility scale sites come with complimentary access to 5, 10, 15 and 30 minute resolution solar irradiance live and forecast data

Read more on our Utility Scale product page

Review Solcast's Historical and TMY data in detail here

Proven, accurate, bankable data
Solcast has been on a mission to advance the state of the art in cloud and radiation modelling.

Our team of meteorologists, data scientists and engineers started in 2015 by building the most sophisticated global real time irradiance service (the Solcast API), in concert with radiation modelling expert Dr Nick Engerer and his team of scientists from the Australian National University. After the API became operational (now with over 3,000 users globally and growing), Solcast’s meteorologists and data scientists moved focus to the history of satellite and aerosol data globally - with the goal of applying their improved technology to produce the most accurate, lowest uncertainty historical irradiance estimates.

Using the highest resolution satellite and aerosols data, we detect our own clouds with industry-leading models. Our dataset reduces risk for developers, and lowers uncertainty in energy simulations by accurately modelling solar irradiance and weather data for 12+ years. Our solar data is available as Time Series, Typical Meteorological Year (TMY), and Monthly averages.

How Solcast is different

1. Lowest uncertainty

• Top performing data set
• Multiple, independent validation studies
• See our validation statistics for yourself

2. High quality, global data

• Highest resolution, unique satellite cloud detection
• 5/10/15/30/60 minute time steps available
• Ignores old, unreliable satellites for greater certainty

3. Easy to use

• Register now for instant access, and free testing credits
• Data downloads in 1 to 9 minutes
• Multiple file types available: PVsyst, TMY3, SAM, CSV

4. Flexible Pricing

• Time series, TMY, and monthly averages available
• Volume discounts for heavy users
• No forced bundles – all products purchasable separately

Read more on our Historical and TMY product page

Grid Aggregations Product Page

Solar visibility for markets and networks

Improve load forecasting, manage your network, or beat the market. Solcast Grid Aggregations pair up our rapid update, global cloud nowcasting system with your PV installation data to provide live, forecast and historical estimates of total distributed solar power output.

Useful for solar assets of all sizes, including behind-the-meter PV, Grid Aggregations are organised by your areas of interest. Choose postcode/zipcodes, market regions or network assets (e.g. zone substation), and we’ll create a unique API endpoint for each.

Register for a free commercial user account on our API Toolkit and view live samples of one of the 1000+ aggregations we have running live globally. From the API Toolkit, you’ll be able to work with Solcast to quickly create your own under a free trial.

The API Toolkit is our user-friendly way of exploring our data, where you can watch you Grid Aggregation forecasts change in with each Rapid Update and review the API requests available for downloading the data.

Review the Grid Aggregations product page