Essential Solar and Energy Storage Software Resources

Curated lists of APIs, SDKs, paltforms, tools, datasets and academic refrences relevant to solar energy and energy storage software. Categories include: Design & engineering, Finance, Monitoring & Billing, Project Management, Automated Paperwork, etc.

The ultimate goal of this open source project is for software engineers in the industry and academia to share resources for the benefit of all.

APIs and SDKs: System Design & Enegineering

• PV Watts
• System Advisor Model SDK

Platforms and Tools: Design & Enegineering

• PV Watts
• Solarius PV
• PV System Size Estimator
• Utility Rates in USA
• Solar Radiation Estimator
• System Production Estimator
• Homer Energy
• PV Syst
• NREL System Advisor Model
• RETScreen
• Energy Toolbase
• PV Powerhouse: design and generation of mount system components
• PV Groundbreaker: estimate peak power for PV ground mount systems
• Helios 3D: PV plant design and engineering

APIs and SDKs: Finance

• System Advisor Model SDK
• Installation Cost in USA

Platforms and Tools: Finance

• Village Power Finance Model
• CREST: Cost of Energy Models

APIs and SDKs: Monitoring and Billing

• Enphase Enlighten API
• Locus Energy

Platforms and Tools: Monitoring and Billing

• Enphase Enlighten API
• Locus Energy

APIs and SDKs: Automating Paperwork

• Retrieve Customer Eletricity Usage Data: Utility API
• Green Button: Retrieve Customer Eletricity Usage Data

Platforms and Tools: Automating Paperwork

• Solar Permitting Requirements Database for US: solarpermit.org
• Retrieve Customer Eletricity Usage Data: Utility API

Datasets: Weather Data

• NREL Solar Radiation
• US Solar Permitting Requirements Database
• Solar Prospector: solar radiation data
• MapSearch: solar radiation data
• GIS solar radiation data
• SWERA solar radiation data

Datasets: Performance Data

• [NREL PV System Production Data] (https://sam.nrel.gov/case-studies)

Datasets: Energy Pricing Data

• OpenPV: solar installations data in US
• US Electric Utility Companies
• US Average Electricity Prices
• US Utility Rates Database

Datasets: PV Modules and Inverters

• PV Module Database
• PV Inverter Database

Datasets: Generic

• US Energy Information Administration Data API
• Financial Incentives in US
• OpenEI: Solar Companies and Power Plants
• International Renewable Energy Agency Database
• United Nations Datasets

Courses, trainings and MOOCs

• HeatSpring
• PVEducation.org
• Crowdfinancing Tutorials for Clean Energy Professionals

Staying up to date (Newsletters, Magazines, Blogs, etc)

• Greentech Media
• Clean Technica
• PV-Tech

Technical Books

• Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes - by John A. Duffie (Author), William A. Beckman (Author)
• The Physics of Solar Cells - by Jenny Nelson (Author)
• Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion - by Martin Green (Author)
• Physics of Semiconductor Devices - by Simon M. Sze (Author), Kwok K. Ng (Author)

Scientific Journals

• Solar Energy
• Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells
• IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
• Progress in Photovoltaics
• Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
• Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Technical Conferences

• IEEE PV Specialists Conference
• EU PV Solar Energy Conference