Skip to content

Forecast

For full details, see https://docs.solcast.com.au/

Endpoint Purpose
GetForecastAdvancedPvPower Get high-spec PV power forecasts for the requested site from the present up to 14 days ahead, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcasted for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons).
GetForecastHsuLosses Get soiling loss forecasts using the HSU model for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead.
GetForecastKimberLosses Get soiling loss forecasts using the Kimber model for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead.
GetForecastPremiumPvPower Get Forecast Premium PV
GetForecastPremiumWindPower Get Forecast Premium Wind
GetForecastRadiationAndWeather Get irradiance and weather forecasts for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcast for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons).
GetForecastRooftopPvPower Get basic rooftop PV power forecasts from the present time up to 14 days ahead for the requested location, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcasted for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons). The basic rooftop power simulation is only suitable for residential and smaller C&I rooftop sites, not for grid-scale sites.

GetForecastAdvancedPvPower

Get high-spec PV power forecasts for the requested site from the present up to 14 days ahead, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcasted for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons).

GET /data/forecast/advanced_pv_power

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.AdvancedPvPower.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.ResourceId = resourceId;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
Hours integer No The number of hours to return in the response.
OutputParameters string[] No The output parameters to include in the response. Allowed values: pv_power_advanced, pv_power_advanced10, pv_power_advanced90.
ResourceId string Yes The resource id of the resource.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
ApplyAvailability number No Percentage of the site’s total AC (inverter) capacity that is currently generating or expected to be generating during the forecast request period. E.g. if you specify a 50% availability, your returned power will be half of what it otherwise would be.
ApplyConstraint number No Constraint on site’s total AC production, applied as a cap in the same way as the metadata parameter Site Export Limit. This will constrain all Solcast power values to be no higher than the apply_constraint value you specify. If you need an unconstrained forecast, you should not use this parameter.
ApplyDustSoiling number No A user-override for dust_soiling_average. If you specify this parameter in your API call, we will replace the site's annual or monthly average dust soiling values with the value you specify in your API call.E.g. if you specify a 0.7 dust soiling, your returned power will be reduced by 70%.
ApplySnowSoiling number No A user-override for Solcast’s dynamic snow soiling, which is based on global snow cover and weather forecast data, and changes from hour to hour. If you specify this parameter in your API call (e.g. if snow clearing has just been performed), we will replace the Solcast dynamic hour to hour value with the single value you specify. E.g. if you specify a 0.7 snow soiling, your returned power will be reduced by 70%.
ApplyTrackerInactive boolean No Indicating if trackers are inactive. If True, panels are assumed all facing up (i.e. zero rotation). Only has effect if your site has a tracking_type that is not “fixed”.
TerrainShading boolean No If true, irradiance parameters are modified based on the surrounding terrain from a 90m-horizontal-resolution digital elevation model. The direct component of irradiance is set to zero when the beam from the sun is blocked by the terrain. The diffuse component of irradiance is reduced throughout the day if the sky view at the location is significantly reduced by the surrounding terrain. Global irradiance incorporates both effects.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.

Returns ForecastsDataResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastHsuLosses

Get soiling loss forecasts using the HSU model for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead.

GET /data/forecast/soiling/hsu

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.Soiling.Hsu.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.Latitude = latitude;
    request.QueryParameters.Longitude = longitude;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
Latitude number Yes The latitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -90 and 90.
Longitude number Yes The longitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -180 and 180.
TimeZone string No Timezone to return in data set. Accepted values are utc, longitudinal, or a range from -13 to 13 in 0.25 hour increments for utc offset. Default is utc.
Hours integer No Time window of the response in hours from 1 to 336. Default is 24.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
DepoVelocPm10 number No Deposition or settling velocity of PM10 particulates. [m/s]. Default is 0.004.
DepoVelocPm25 number No Deposition or settling velocity of PM2.5 particulates. [m/s]. Default is 0.0009.
Tilt number No The angle (degrees) that the PV system is tilted off the horizontal. A tilt of 0 means the system faces directly upwards, and 90 means the system is vertical and facing the horizon. If you don't specify tilt, we use a default tilt angle based on the latitude you specify in your request. Must be between 0 and 90.
CleaningThreshold number No Amount of daily rainfall required to clean the panels (mm). Default is 1.0.
InitialSoiling number No Initial percentage of energy lost due to soiling at time zero in the rainfall series input. If not provided, Solcast will perform a ramp up series calculation to accurately determine this value. If provided must be >= 0 and < 0.3437.
ManualWashDates string[] No Optional. Default is none. A list of ISO_8601 compliant dates or a repeating interval when manual cleaning of the panels occurred. A list of dates example: [2025-01-01,2025-01-05,2025-01-10]. A repeating interval example: R3/2025-01-01T00:00:00Z/P14D. Wash dates outside of the start and end of the request are discarded.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.

Returns ForecastsDataResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastKimberLosses

Get soiling loss forecasts using the Kimber model for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead.

GET /data/forecast/soiling/kimber

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.Soiling.Kimber.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.Latitude = latitude;
    request.QueryParameters.Longitude = longitude;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
Latitude number Yes The latitude of the location (EPSG:4326). Must be between -90 and 90.
Longitude number Yes The longitude of the location (EPSG:4326). Must be between -180 and 180.
TimeZone string No Timezone to return in data set. Accepted values are utc, longitudinal, or a range from -13 to 13 in 0.25 hour increments for utc offset. Default is utc.
Hours integer No Time window of the response in hours from 1 to 336. Default is 24.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
CleaningThreshold number No Amount of daily rainfall required to clean the panels (mm). Default is 6.0. Accepted range is 0 to 100.
SoilingLossRate number No Fraction of energy lost due to one day of soiling. Default is 0.0015.
GracePeriod integer No Number of days after a rainfall event when it's assumed the ground is damp (0 to 100). Default is 14 days.
MaxSoiling number No Maximum fraction of energy lost due to soiling. Soiling will build up until this value (0 to 1). Default is 0.3.
InitialSoiling number No Initial fraction of energy lost due to soiling at time zero in the rainfall series input (0 to 1). Default is 0.
ManualWashDates string[] No Optional. Default is none. A list of ISO_8601 compliant dates or a repeating interval when manual cleaning of the panels occurred. A list of dates example: [2025-01-01,2025-01-05,2025-01-10]. A repeating interval example: R3/2025-01-01T00:00:00Z/P14D. Wash dates outside of the start and end of the request are discarded.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.

Returns ForecastsDataResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastPremiumPvPower

Get Forecast Premium PV

GET /data/forecast/premium_pv_power

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.PremiumPvPower.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.ResourceId = resourceId;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
OutputParameters string[] No The output parameters to include in the response. Allowed values: power, curtailed_power, availability, curtailment.
IssueTime string No Return the forecast issued at this time (ISO 8601). Must be in the past. When omitted, the latest forecast is returned.
RequestId string No Optional request identifier for tracing and log correlation.
Hours integer No The number of hours to return in the response.
ResourceId string Yes The resource id of the resource.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
ApplyAvailability number No Percentage of the site’s total AC (inverter) capacity that is currently generating or expected to be generating during the forecast request period. E.g. if you specify a 50% availability, your returned power will be half of what it otherwise would be.
ApplyConstraint number No Constraint on site’s total AC production, applied as a cap in the same way as the metadata parameter Site Export Limit. This will constrain all Solcast power values to be no higher than the apply_constraint value you specify. If you need an unconstrained forecast, you should not use this parameter.
ApplyDustSoiling number No A user-override for dust_soiling_average. If you specify this parameter in your API call, we will replace the site's annual or monthly average dust soiling values with the value you specify in your API call.E.g. if you specify a 0.7 dust soiling, your returned power will be reduced by 70%.
ApplySnowSoiling number No A user-override for Solcast’s dynamic snow soiling, which is based on global snow cover and weather forecast data, and changes from hour to hour. If you specify this parameter in your API call (e.g. if snow clearing has just been performed), we will replace the Solcast dynamic hour to hour value with the single value you specify. E.g. if you specify a 0.7 snow soiling, your returned power will be reduced by 70%.
ApplyTrackerInactive boolean No Indicating if trackers are inactive. If True, panels are assumed all facing up (i.e. zero rotation). Only has effect if your site has a tracking_type that is not “fixed”.
TerrainShading boolean No If true, irradiance parameters are modified based on the surrounding terrain from a 90m-horizontal-resolution digital elevation model. The direct component of irradiance is set to zero when the beam from the sun is blocked by the terrain. The diffuse component of irradiance is reduced throughout the day if the sky view at the location is significantly reduced by the surrounding terrain. Global irradiance incorporates both effects.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.

Returns ForecastPremiumPvPowerResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastPremiumWindPower

Get Forecast Premium Wind

GET /data/forecast/premium_wind_power

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.PremiumWindPower.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.ResourceId = resourceId;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
ResourceId string Yes The resource id of the resource.
OutputParameters string[] No The output parameters to include in the response. Allowed values: power, curtailed_power, wind_speed_hub_height, wind_direction_hub_height, availability, curtailment.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
Hours integer No The number of hours to return in the response.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.
RequestId string No Optional request identifier for tracing and log correlation.
IssueTime string No Return the forecast issued at this time (ISO 8601). Must be in the past. When omitted, the latest forecast is returned.

Returns ForecastPremiumWindPowerResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastRadiationAndWeather

Get irradiance and weather forecasts for the requested location from the present up to 14 days ahead, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcast for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons).

GET /data/forecast/radiation_and_weather

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.RadiationAndWeather.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.Latitude = latitude;
    request.QueryParameters.Longitude = longitude;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
OutputParameters string[] No The output parameters to include in the response. Allowed values: air_temp, albedo, azimuth, clearsky_dhi, clearsky_dni, clearsky_ghi, clearsky_gti, cloud_opacity, cloud_opacity10, cloud_opacity90, dewpoint_temp, dhi, dhi10, dhi90, dni, dni10, dni90, ghi, ghi10, ghi90, gti, gti10, gti90, precipitable_water, precipitation_rate, relative_humidity, surface_pressure, snow_depth, snow_water_equivalent, snow_soiling_rooftop, snow_soiling_ground, wind_direction_100m, wind_direction_10m, wind_speed_100m, wind_speed_10m, zenith, snowfall_rate, wind_gust, cape, weather_type, min_air_temp, max_air_temp, pm10, pm2.5.
Hours integer No The number of hours to return in the response.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
Tilt number No The angle (degrees) that the PV system is tilted off the horizontal. A tilt of 0 means the system faces directly upwards, and 90 means the system is vertical and facing the horizon. If you don't specify tilt, we use a default tilt angle based on the latitude you specify in your request. Must be between 0 and 90.
Azimuth number No The azimuth is defined as the angle (degrees) from true north that the PV system is facing. An azimuth of 0 means the system is facing true north. Positive values are anticlockwise, so azimuth is -90 for an east-facing system and 135 for a southwest-facing system. If you don't specify an azimuth, we use a default value of 0 (north facing) in the southern hemisphere and 180 (south-facing) in the northern hemisphere.
ArrayType ArrayType No The type of sun-tracking or geometry configuration of your site's modules.
TerrainShading boolean No If true, irradiance parameters are modified based on the surrounding terrain from a 90m-horizontal-resolution digital elevation model. The direct component of irradiance is set to zero when the beam from the sun is blocked by the terrain. The diffuse component of irradiance is reduced throughout the day if the sky view at the location is significantly reduced by the surrounding terrain. Global irradiance incorporates both effects.
Latitude number Yes The latitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -90 and 90.
Longitude number Yes The longitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -180 and 180.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.

Returns ForecastsDataResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.

GetForecastRooftopPvPower

Get basic rooftop PV power forecasts from the present time up to 14 days ahead for the requested location, derived from satellite (clouds and irradiance over non-polar continental areas, nowcasted for approx. four hours ahead) and numerical weather models (other data and longer horizons). The basic rooftop power simulation is only suitable for residential and smaller C&I rooftop sites, not for grid-scale sites.

GET /data/forecast/rooftop_pv_power

var response = await client.Data.Forecast.RooftopPvPower.GetAsync(request =>
{
    request.QueryParameters.Latitude = latitude;
    request.QueryParameters.Longitude = longitude;
    request.QueryParameters.Capacity = capacity;
});

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
Hours integer No The number of hours to return in the response.
OutputParameters string[] No The output parameters to include in the response. Allowed values: pv_power_rooftop, pv_power_rooftop10, pv_power_rooftop90.
Period Period No Length of the averaging period in ISO 8601 duration format. Default is PT30M.
Latitude number Yes The latitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -90 and 90.
Longitude number Yes The longitude of the location you request data for. Must be a decimal number between -180 and 180.
Capacity number Yes The capacity of the inverter (AC) or the modules (DC), whichever is greater, in kilowatts (kW).
Tilt number No The angle (degrees) that the PV system is tilted off the horizontal. A tilt of 0 means the system faces directly upwards, and 90 means the system is vertical and facing the horizon. If you don't specify tilt, we use a default tilt angle based on the latitude you specify in your request. Must be between 0 and 90.
Azimuth number No The azimuth is defined as the angle (degrees) from true north that the PV system is facing. An azimuth of 0 means the system is facing true north. Positive values are anticlockwise, so azimuth is -90 for an east-facing system and 135 for a southwest-facing system. If you don't specify an azimuth, we use a default value of 0 (north facing) in the southern hemisphere and 180 (south-facing) in the northern hemisphere.
InstallDate string No The date (yyyy-MM-dd) of installation of the PV system. We use this to estimate your loss_factor based on the ageing of your system. If you provide us with a loss_factor directly, we will ignore this date.
LossFactor number No Default is 0.90 A factor to reduce your output forecast from the full capacity based on characteristics of the PV array or inverter. This is effectively the non-temperature loss effects on the nameplate rating of the PV system, including inefficiency and soiling. For a 1kW PV system anything that reduces 1000W/m2 solar radiation from producing 1000W of power output (assuming temperature is 25C). Valid values are between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0.6 equals 60%). If you specify 0.6 your returned power will be a maximum of 60% of AC capacity.
TerrainShading boolean No If true, irradiance parameters are modified based on the surrounding terrain from a 90m-horizontal-resolution digital elevation model. The direct component of irradiance is set to zero when the beam from the sun is blocked by the terrain. The diffuse component of irradiance is reduced throughout the day if the sky view at the location is significantly reduced by the surrounding terrain. Global irradiance incorporates both effects.
Format Format No Response format. Default is HTML if not supplied.
ApplySnowSoiling number No A user-override for Solcast’s dynamic snow soiling, which is based on global snow cover and weather forecast data, and changes from hour to hour. If you specify this parameter in your API call (e.g. if snow clearing has just been performed), we will replace the Solcast dynamic hour to hour value with the single value you specify. E.g. if you specify a 0.7 snow soiling, your returned power will be reduced by 70%.

Returns ForecastsDataResponse

Field Description
forecasts Forecast records returned for the requested location.