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Solar Modeling

The Solar device composes a Node (power source only) with an implicit PowerConnection to model solar generation with optional curtailment.

Model Elements Created

graph LR
    subgraph "Device"
        SS["Node<br/>(is_source=true, is_sink=false)"]
        Conn["PowerConnection<br/>{name}:connection"]
    end

    Node[Connection Target]

    SS -->|linked via| Conn
    Conn -->|connects to| Node
Model Element Name Parameters From Configuration
Node {name} is_source=true, is_sink=false
PowerConnection {name}:connection forecast as max_power, production price

Devices Created

Solar creates 1 device in Home Assistant:

Device Name Created When Purpose
Primary {name} Always Solar generation tracking and limits

Parameter Mapping

The adapter transforms user configuration into model parameters:

User Configuration Model Element Model Parameter Notes
forecast PowerConnection max_power_source_target Upper bound on generation
production_price PowerConnection price_source_target Cost/revenue per kWh generated (default: 0)
enable_curtailment PowerConnection fixed_power false if curtailment enabled, true otherwise
connection PowerConnection target Node to connect to
— Node is_source=true Solar provides power
— Node is_sink=false Solar cannot consume power

Sensors Created

Solar Device

Sensor Unit Update Description
power kW Real-time Actual power generated
power_available kW Real-time Maximum available solar power
forecast_limit $/kW Real-time Value of additional generation capacity

See Solar Configuration for detailed sensor and configuration documentation.

Configuration Examples

Standard Solar (No Curtailment)

Field Value
Name Rooftop Solar
Forecast sensor.solcast_pv_forecast_power_now
Curtailment false
Connection Home Bus

With Curtailment Enabled

Field Value
Name Curtailable Solar
Forecast sensor.solcast_pv_forecast_power_now
Curtailment true
Price Production 0.0
Connection Home Bus

Typical Use Cases

Standard Solar: Leave curtailment enabled (default) so the optimizer can reduce generation when beneficial. Set curtailment: false only when your inverter cannot support active power limiting.

Negative Export Pricing: Enable curtailment when export prices can be negative. Optimizer will curtail generation when it's economically beneficial to avoid paying to export.

Export-Limited Systems: Curtailment allows optimizer to stay within export limits while managing battery and load efficiently.

Physical Interpretation

Solar represents a solar generation system that produces power based on weather forecasts and system capacity.

Configuration Guidelines

  • Forecast Accuracy: Critical for optimization quality. Use high-quality forecast services like Solcast for best results. See Forecasts and Sensors.
  • Curtailment: Only enable if your inverter supports active power limiting.
  • Production Price: Usually 0 (solar has no marginal cost). Set negative only if you have solar lease/contract costs that make generation costly. Set positive only for feed-in tariff modeling (rare).
  • Fixed Power: When curtailment is disabled, generation equals forecast exactly. When enabled, generation can be reduced below forecast.

Next Steps