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ca...@google.com
ca...@google.com
The purpose of the Building Insights endpoint is to provide a rapid assessment of solar potential for a building. The inputs (panel efficiency, lifetime, weather, financial, etc) are not adjustable at this time. The Data Layers API provides the starting point for doing your own panel layout, as it gives you the Digital Surface Model (DSM, aka a heightfield) for the roof and information about the solar irradiance captured at each location on the roof. These can be combined with custom assumptions for panel efficiency, size, etc.
ca...@google.com
ca...@google.com
Upon checking, we'll be reviewing this for further consideration. Please star this issue to get updates and leave comments for additional information. Please note that starring the issue also provides our product team with valuable feedback on the importance of the issue to our customers.
ke...@gmail.com
After reading the various comments left here, it seems that some of your people have caught the essence of what I proposed. Yes, your original intent behind the Solar API Building Insights was to provide "a rapid assessment of solar potential for a building", but it quickly became apparent to me that with just a little more effort, the scope and benefit of the Solar API could be greatly increased, thereby enhancing the contribution that Google could make towards greater solar adoption, which would clearly be a good thing to benefit our collective home... planet earth.
The comment was made that "the Data Layers API provides the starting point for doing your own panel layout." While true, the whole point of powerful APIs is to remove the need for everyone to reinvent the same wheel, is it not? Laying out panels on a roof image is not a trivial task, and if Google has already done the work, why not make the benefits more widely available for the common good? Isn't that what all the large tech corporations are doing anyhow? I see this feature of allowing people to use the Solar API to produce actual panel layouts more easily by doing all the math required to position the panels, given the actual desired panel specifications. Thank you for considering this feature more closely, with an eye to increase the usefulness of the Solar API.
The comment was made that "the Data Layers API provides the starting point for doing your own panel layout." While true, the whole point of powerful APIs is to remove the need for everyone to reinvent the same wheel, is it not? Laying out panels on a roof image is not a trivial task, and if Google has already done the work, why not make the benefits more widely available for the common good? Isn't that what all the large tech corporations are doing anyhow? I see this feature of allowing people to use the Solar API to produce actual panel layouts more easily by doing all the math required to position the panels, given the actual desired panel specifications. Thank you for considering this feature more closely, with an eye to increase the usefulness of the Solar API.
ri...@younergy.ch
I would support this request - at least the dimensions part. If the API is going to provide basic panel metrics for roof segments (even if not a full proper layout) then the panel sizes need to be configurable. Failing this the API needs to use a more modern panel dimension that match the typical common sizes being designed/installed today. At present they are about 20% -30% smaller by area.
The power is much less of an issue as you can easily scale the annual kwh by panel power - so arguably this should just return output for a 1w panel and let us scale it (or give a unitary value as well)
For reference here in Europe we tend to assume a typical size of 1.130 x 1.700 meters and power of 440W
Regardless if panel layouts are supported or not, providing a full detailed (polygon) for the roof segment when viewed orthogonally would be very helpful, as this would make creating your own layout algorithm much simpler. For example with flat roofs which have different layout considerations:https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/solar-flat-roof-east-west-tilts/
I assume these polygons must be know / calculated internally for the current internal layout algorithm?
The power is much less of an issue as you can easily scale the annual kwh by panel power - so arguably this should just return output for a 1w panel and let us scale it (or give a unitary value as well)
For reference here in Europe we tend to assume a typical size of 1.130 x 1.700 meters and power of 440W
Regardless if panel layouts are supported or not, providing a full detailed (polygon) for the roof segment when viewed orthogonally would be very helpful, as this would make creating your own layout algorithm much simpler. For example with flat roofs which have different layout considerations:
I assume these polygons must be know / calculated internally for the current internal layout algorithm?
pr...@gmail.com
Agreed - panel dimension needs to be configurable in the API for the rendering to have real-world relevance, and it should not be a big task to support this. Doing so will make the API relevant to solar installation planning and usable - otherwise the panel calculations are not usable and have to be re-implemented by everyone using the API for real world calculations, and fully detailed polygons are needed as per previous comment. It would be much better to be able to use Google's layout algorithm instead, but configurable panel sizes are a must-have.
Q: why are there definitions of panel width and panel height and panel power in the Google solar demo code, if these were not intended to be configurable? It seems obvious that they were intended to be configurable. As implemented currently only one panel size and power is used.
Q: why are there definitions of panel width and panel height and panel power in the Google solar demo code, if these were not intended to be configurable? It seems obvious that they were intended to be configurable. As implemented currently only one panel size and power is used.
co...@gmail.com
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an...@ecosite.uk
Agree with pr...@gmail.com - Being able to specify bespoke panel size & power are a must-have. Panel powers & measurements vary. We need to be ale to use 500w panels at 2m height. These are parameters exposed in the api code.
ma...@openquote.net
As well as panel size, offsets (distances from roof edge) are part of
building code in many territories so also must be a variable that can be
set in advance of panel placement
On Tue, 29 Oct 2024, 16:57 , <buganizer-system@google.com> wrote:
building code in many territories so also must be a variable that can be
set in advance of panel placement
On Tue, 29 Oct 2024, 16:57 , <buganizer-system@google.com> wrote:
jo...@greenbox-solar.com
I was about to submit this same request. I am building a customer facing feature on our website that I intended to utilize Google's Solar API for. Unfortunately, this API will not meet the needs I wish to serve without further customizability, starting with the panel dimensions and power rating. On top of that, I was hoping for more specificity with the average monthly power bill, rather than just the 23 options we're given, but that'll need to be a separate request.
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