Accessing Forecasts with the alitiq Solar API¶

The alitiq Solar API provides robust and flexible forecasting capabilities for individual Solar PV systems and entire portfolios. This guide walks you through retrieving forecasts and explains the parameters that allow you to tailor the output to your specific needs.

Features 🌟¶

Flexibility in Forecasting: Customize forecasts using parameters such as time zone, interval, and power measurement.
System-Level Forecasting: Retrieve precise forecasts for individual Solar PV systems.
Portfolio-Level Forecasting: Aggregate forecasts for your entire portfolio in one request.
Time-Specific Forecasts: Fetch forecasts calculated at specific times (dt_calc) for advanced planning.
Easy Access & Integration: By using your own location identifier it is easy to access the right forecasts and integrate it into your system

Forecasting for a Single Solar PV System¶

To access a forecast for a specific Solar PV system, use the forecast/single endpoint from the API or the get_forecast method from the SDK.

Example¶

python requestsalitiq-pycURL

import requests

url = "https://solar.alitiq.com/forecast/single"

querystring = {"location_id":"123","response_format":"html","weather_model":"icon_eu","timezone":"UTC","power_measure":"kW","interval_in_minutes":"15"}

payload = ""
headers = {"x-api-key": "your-api-key"}

response = requests.request("GET", url, data=payload, headers=headers, params=querystring)

print(response.text)

from datetime import datetime
from alitiq import alitiqSolarAPI

# Initialize the Solar API client
solar_api = alitiqSolarAPI(api_key="your-api-key")

# Retrieve forecast for a specific Solar PV system
forecast = solar_api.get_forecast(
    location_id="SP123",  # Replace with your system's location ID
    dt_calc=datetime(2024, 6, 15, 12),  # Optional: specify the calculation timestamp
    power_measure="kW",  # Specify the power measurement unit
    timezone="UTC",  # Set the timezone
    interval_in_minutes=15,  # Set the forecast interval
    window_boundary="end"  # Define how intervals are calculated
)

# Display the forecast
print(forecast)

curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://solar.alitiq.com/forecast/single?location_id=123&response_format=json&weather_model=icon_eu&timezone=UTC&power_measure=kW&interval_in_minutes=15' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your-api-key'

Forecasting for an Entire Portfolio¶

To access a forecast for your whole portfolio of PV systems, use the forecast/portfolio endpoint from the API or the get_forecast_portfolio method from the SDK.

Example¶

python requestsalitiq-pycURL

import requests

url = "https://solar.alitiq.com/forecast/portfolio"

querystring = {"response_format":"html","weather_model":"icon_eu","timezone":"UTC","power_measure":"kW","interval_in_minutes":"15", "portfolio_sum_column":"False"}

payload = ""
headers = {"x-api-key": "your-api-key"}

response = requests.request("GET", url, data=payload, headers=headers, params=querystring)

print(response.text)

from datetime import datetime
from alitiq import alitiqSolarAPI

# Initialize the Solar API client
solar_api = alitiqSolarAPI(api_key="your-api-key")

# Retrieve portfolio-wide forecast
portfolio_forecast = solar_api.get_forecast_portfolio(
    dt_calc=datetime(2024, 6, 15, 12),  # Optional: specify the calculation timestamp
    power_measure="kW",  # Specify the power measurement unit
    timezone="UTC",  # Set the timezone
    interval_in_minutes=15,  # Set the forecast interval
    window_boundary="end",  # Define how intervals are calculated
    portfolio_sum_column=True  # Optionally include a column summing all systems
)

# Display the portfolio forecast
print(portfolio_forecast)

curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://solar.alitiq.com/forecast/portfolio?response_format=html&weather_model=icon_eu&timezone=UTC&power_measure=kW&interval_in_minutes=15' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your-api-key'

Understanding Forecast Parameters¶

The following parameters offer you flexibility when generating forecasts:

Parameter	Description	Default Value
`location_id`	Unique identifier for the Solar PV system. Required for system-level forecasts. This is your defined identifer.	None
`dt_calc`	Timestamp for forecast calculation. Useful for time-specific forecasts, and access historic ones.	Latest available
`power_measure`	Unit of power measurement (`kW`, `MW`, etc.).	`"kW"`
`timezone`	Timezone for the forecast data.	`"UTC"`
`interval_in_minutes`	Forecast interval (e.g., `15` for 15-minute intervals). Important for retieviing Energy instead of Power	`15`
`window_boundary`	Defines interval boundaries (`begin`, `center`, or `end`).	`"end"`
`portfolio_sum_column`	Adds a column summing forecasts for all systems in the portfolio.	`True`

Flexibility as a Feature¶

The flexibility to define parameters ensures that the API adapts to various use cases, whether you need:

Forecasts for specific systems.
Aggregated data for an entire portfolio.
Customized intervals and time zones.
Tailored outputs based on specific power measurement units.
Easy integration by using your own identifiers

This adaptability makes the alitiq Solar API a powerful tool for energy planning and decision-making.

Support¶

For further assistance, contact support@alitiq.com. 🌞