Solar Integration

MeshManager integrates with Forecast.Solar to predict solar production and identify nodes at risk of low battery.

Overview

The solar integration provides:

• Production Forecasting - Predicted solar output based on your panel configuration
• Historical Comparison - Compare actual production to forecasts
• Battery Simulation - Predict which nodes may run low on battery
• Automated Alerts - Notifications for nodes at risk

Configuration

Prerequisites

1. Solar Panels - Know your panel specifications:

   • Latitude and longitude
   • Declination (tilt angle)
   • Azimuth (compass direction)
   • Peak power (kWp)

2. Nodes with Solar - Identify which mesh nodes have solar charging

Setting Up Solar Monitoring

1. Navigate to Settings > Solar Schedule
2. Configure your solar panel parameters:

Field	Description	Example
Latitude	Panel location latitude	25.7617
Longitude	Panel location longitude	-80.1918
Declination	Panel tilt in degrees	25
Azimuth	Panel direction (0=North, 180=South)	180
Peak Power	Panel capacity in kWp	0.5

3. Click Save

Selecting Solar Nodes

Mark nodes that have solar charging:

1. Go to the Solar Analysis page
2. Select nodes with solar panels
3. The system will track their battery levels against solar production

Solar Analysis

Production Chart

The main chart shows:

• Blue Line - Actual production (from Forecast.Solar estimate based on weather)
• Dashed Line - Forecasted production (ideal conditions)
• Yellow Overlay - Daylight hours

Battery Simulation

For each solar-powered node:

1. Takes current battery level
2. Simulates drain based on historical consumption
3. Applies solar charging based on forecast
4. Predicts minimum battery level

Risk Assessment

Nodes are flagged based on simulated minimum battery:

Level	Criteria	Indicator
Critical	Below 20%	🔴 Red
Warning	Below 50%	🟡 Yellow
OK	Above 50%	✅ Green

Scheduled Notifications

Configure automated solar reports:

1. Navigate to Settings > Solar Schedule
2. Enable Scheduled Notifications
3. Add notification times (24-hour format, e.g., 07:00)
4. Configure Apprise notification URLs

Notification Content

Scheduled notifications include:

• Today's forecast vs historical average
• List of nodes at risk with battery predictions
• Chart attachment showing production and node simulations

See Notifications for Apprise URL configuration.

Lookback Period

The analysis uses a configurable lookback period:

• 7 days (default) - Balance of recent data and trend analysis
• 3 days - More responsive to recent changes
• 14 days - Smoother averages, less noise

Adjust in the Solar Analysis settings based on your needs.

API Endpoints

For programmatic access:

• GET /api/ui/analysis/solar-forecast - Get forecast and analysis data
• GET /api/ui/solar - Get solar configuration
• PUT /api/ui/settings/solar-schedule - Update solar settings

See API Reference for details.

Troubleshooting

No Forecast Data

• Verify latitude/longitude are correct
• Check that Forecast.Solar is accessible
• Ensure peak power is set (required for calculations)

Inaccurate Predictions

• Verify panel orientation (declination/azimuth)
• Check for obstructions affecting actual production
• Adjust lookback period for your climate

Missing Node Simulations

• Ensure nodes are marked as solar-powered
• Verify nodes have recent telemetry data
• Check that battery level data is being collected