Savings and generation estimates

Before you arrive on the Wattle Powr platform, our system has worked to develop your complete digital solar quote. As part of that, you'll see an estimate of how much the system will generate for you, and how much you'll likely save as a result. 

How we calculate your estimates

During the solar system design phase, the system will model shading on your property from nearby terrain, such as buildings, trees and mountains. 

A 3D model of your roof is extracted, and solar panels are placed to optimise for the amount of sun they will receive. As part of this, the algorithm knows to avoid any shading. 

We use digital surface model data collected by commercial aircraft with Lidar cameras to ensure as accurate as possible tilt and orientation of your roof aspects.

In order to calculate your energy forecast, the platform will calculate the location of the sun at hourly intervals for an entire year relative to the tilt and orientation of the proposed solar system on your roof. 

We then use observed meteorological solar insolation and temperature data (created by combining 10+ years of weather data into a ‘typical year’) to calculate the solar system’s generation every hour for a year. 

We incorporate various losses such as electrical efficiency losses, dirt accumulation on the panels, temperature-driven panel efficiency losses, and localised shading losses due to nearby buildings and trees (where available) to ensure an as accurate as possible estimation.

After we have a full year of hourly estimation, we are able to offset against your hourly interval data to calculate your solar self-consumption and export to the grid. 

This provides an accurate view of your potential savings. (Note: if less than a year of consumption data is received, we apply some aggregation to incorporate as much seasonality as possible).