Repository navigation
Weather and Solar Forecasts
Open Configure > Advanced settings > Weather & solar forecast. Forecasts are separate from provider credentials and real tariff prices. For sites with solar, Smart Optimization uses a usable solar forecast alongside household-load history and electricity prices. Battery-only sites can explicitly confirm that no solar is installed.
Choose Solar forecast provider and any requested supported integration/source. PowerSync can use supported Solcast, Open-Meteo Solar Forecast or Volcast integrations; the direct Solcast key/resource fields provide a separate fallback path. Select the appropriate Solcast estimate when used. Missing or disabled source entities must be resolved in the source integration; choosing a provider name is not proof that a valid forecast was loaded.
Home Assistant weather entity, weather location and OpenWeatherMap API key are optional weather inputs for the features that use them. A weather entity is not a substitute for solar production forecasts. Leave optional entity fields unselected to clear them; an empty string is not an entity ID.
For sites with multiple arrays, check the combined forecast covers all intended PV and does not double-count the same source. The GoodWe whole-site solar sensor is live site telemetry, distinct from forecast arrays. Historical household load is configured under Smart Optimization > Battery & forecast inputs.
After saving, inspect solar/load forecast sensors and current optimizer status. Check units, timestamps, timezone and plausible daily energy. Missing forecast/history can produce a conservative or unavailable plan; it does not by itself prove a battery command failed.
From v2.12.1450, tick No solar installed under Configure > Advanced settings > Weather & solar forecast, then save. PowerSync reloads the integration and uses an intentional zero-solar forecast. The missing-solar-forecast warning is suppressed and PowerSync's built-in solar forecast polling is skipped. Household-load forecasting, electricity prices, battery limits and actual telemetry continue to apply. External forecast integrations are not disabled.
Saved provider settings and credentials are retained. Untick the option and save when panels are installed; normal provider lookups and missing/stale forecast warnings resume. Missing forecast data alone never enables this option. Solar forecast learning is skipped while no solar is confirmed.
Mobile build 444 adds the same switch under the Solar Forecast section of the weather and solar settings screen when connected to a compatible Home Assistant integration. Save the change to apply it. While ticked, forecast controls are hidden and a neutral No solar installed message is shown. In the Home Assistant form, saved forecast fields remain visible but are ignored while this option is ticked.
The tables use the current form labels and help text. They list the conditional field union: a field can be hidden for a different battery, provider, route or available integration. The instructions above explain those conditions. Existing saved/discovered values take precedence over fresh fallbacks. Rate units follow the provider; check the displayed currency/energy unit.
| Field | Meaning / input | Fallback / limits |
|---|---|---|
| No solar installed | Explicitly confirm this property has no solar panels; use zero solar without missing-forecast warnings. | Off by default; saved forecast settings are retained |
| Weather location | Suburb, city, postcode, or lat,lon coordinates (e.g. 'Melbourne', '3000', '-37.81,144.96'). Leave blank to auto-detect from timezone. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| OpenWeatherMap API key | Free API key from openweathermap.org for weather-based automations (sunny, cloudy, rain, snow, and storm triggers). Leave blank to disable. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Solar forecast provider | Choose which solar forecast provider PowerSync tries first. If the selected provider has no complete usable forecast, PowerSync falls back through its supported providers. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Enable Solcast solar forecast | Enable PowerSync's built-in Solcast client, or select the installed Solcast, Open-Meteo Solar Forecast, or Volcast HA integration above. External providers need no API calls from PowerSync. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Solcast API key | Only needed if you do NOT have the Solcast HA integration. Get a free key from toolkit.solcast.com.au (10 calls/day on hobbyist tier). | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Solcast resource ID(s) | Only needed without the Solcast HA integration. For split arrays, enter comma-separated IDs (e.g. abc123,def456). | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Solcast estimate | Choose which Solcast production estimate PowerSync uses for sensors and optimisation. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |
| Home Assistant weather entity | Optional. Used for temperature-aware load forecasting if Home Assistant has a weather entity. Leave blank when using OpenWeatherMap. | Saved/detected value or the form’s shown fallback |