Plug-in solar panels (no electrician needed) have just become legal in the UK and will go on sale soon. Helios estimates how much electricity a typical installation could generate at a given address and what that's worth against your tariff.
It uses UK government LIDAR data to reflect the actual skyline, so it knows whether there's a building or a hill blocking the sun.
Caveats:
- Outside LIDAR coverage (most of Scotland and Wales) it falls back to a synthetic horizon (less accurate).
- Trees and recent developments (post-2022 or so) may not be in the data, and some address placements could be off (geocoding via OSM).
It uses UK government LIDAR data to reflect the actual skyline, so it knows whether there's a building or a hill blocking the sun.
Caveats: - Outside LIDAR coverage (most of Scotland and Wales) it falls back to a synthetic horizon (less accurate). - Trees and recent developments (post-2022 or so) may not be in the data, and some address placements could be off (geocoding via OSM).
Feedback on the shading model especially welcome.