v4.4.8

What's Changed?

• Move all cache and configuration files to config/solcast_solar by @autoSteve ⚠️
• Add Solcast API temporarily unavailable raised issue by @autoSteve
• Improve 'Future forecasts missing when auto update is enabled' repair notice by @gcoan
• Do not suggest 'fixable' repair notice for manual update after API failures by @autoSteve
• Ignore adjusted automated dampening factors above 'insignificant' threshold by @autoSteve
• Add advanced auto-dampen option 'insignificant factor adjusted' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced auto-dampen option 'similar peak' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced auto-dampen option 'generation fetch delay' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced estimated actuals option 'log mape breakdown' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced estimated actuals option 'log ape percentiles' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced estimated actuals option 'fetch delay' by @autoSteve
• Add advanced general option 'user agent' by @autoSteve
• Modify advanced auto-dampen option 'minimum matching intervals' to accept 1 by @autoSteve
• Attribute consistency as local time zone for datetime values by @autoSteve

API failure bolstering

A recent 'Solcast API availability' incident (and the turmoil that ensured) highlighted the need for both proactive and reactive improvements. Most notable, is that when ten consecutive 429 / Too busy failures have occurred then a Home Assistant repair issue will be raised. This provides instruction to DO NOTHING, because the situation is temporary. Please, follow its instruction.

It may be called a "repair", but nothing about this situation is repairable. Do not try to repair that which is un-repairable. The best you can do is to report this to Solcast (respectfully, because you don't pay them).

This issue will be removed once the API is again available, but you can ignore it if desired. Just don't personally ignore the instruction. Do nothing. If you don't press 'Ignore' then you'll know when things have returned to normal because this 'repair' will be removed.

Move all cache and configuration files to config/solcast_solar

There should be no impact felt from this change. The /config directory was getting a little crowded, so a dedicated sub-directory for the integration is warranted, and migration of existing JSON files happens.

👀⚠️ Do not revert from v4.4.8+ to an earlier release without due care. The /config/solcast_solar/*.json files must be moved back to /config/ (with the integration stopped if writing solcast-dampening.json with auto-dampen off), and prior to downgrading.

Writing a granular dampening file at the legacy location will work until 1 June 2026, and dampening files written there will be moved to the new config location automatically. A warning will be logged. We are not aware of any users writing to the config/solcast-dampening.json file, but it is possible.

If you have anything else called solcast*.json in the base /config directory then it will come along for the ride with the migration.

Ignore adjusted automated dampening factors above 'insignificant' threshold

In prior releases any automated dampening "base" factor above 0.95 was ignored. Delta-logarithmic adjustment might then push a lower modelled base factor above 0.95. This change ensures that adjusted factors are similarly ignored when they exceed 0.95 after adjustment. (Advanced options are now available to allow modification of the thresholds.)

Add more advanced options

Additional advanced options have been added to enable tweaking of various aspects of automated dampening, estimated actuals, and more. If a "tweak" is generaly accepted as the right thing to do, then the default model parameters will be shifted, so keep experience reports coming in discussions. (To state the obvious, experiences shared must not be issue reports).

To the above point, advanced options configuration has been moved to /config/solcast_solar/solcast-advanced.json.

Attribute consistency as local time zone

All datetime attributes are stored as time zone aware in Home Assistant, so this change will not have any impact. Attribute values viewed in the Developer | States tool will be easier to read now, and consistent for entities. The States tool will still show the entity value as being UTC-based, regardless of the HA time zone set. This is an HA thing.

Full Changelog: v4.4.7...v4.4.8