Student solar PV simulator: Design panels, predict yield with real weather data – no licenses needed.
Students can't affordably prototype wind and solar models because energy simulation software is too expensive or lacks student licenses.
SolarSimly lets students model solar arrays by selecting panels, roofs/grounds, and locations, pulling free weather APIs for irradiance forecasts. It calculates energy yield, losses, and ROI instantly. Perfect for homework with exportable results.
University students in renewable energy, engineering, or environmental science programs working on wind/solar projects
Free weather integration + solar cost estimator tailored to student budgets.
supportive
Place panels on 2D map, set tilt/azimuth.
Auto-fetch solar data via location.
Hourly/daily/annual production with loss factors.
Input prices for payback analysis.
3D model and irradiance heatmaps.
A/B test designs side-by-side.
Sim off-grid with storage.
CSV/PDF with custom branding.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| location | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| name | text | No |
| config | jsonb | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| design_id | uuid | No |
| weather_data | jsonb | No |
| yield_results | jsonb | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
/api/designsSave design
/api/weather/:lat/:lonFetch weather data
/api/runsCompute yield
/api/export/:idDownload results
Weekly runs
100 runs/mo
Unlimited
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 80 | 1.5% | $40 | $480 |
| Month 6 | 700 | 4% | $980 | $11,760 |
Real weather data, yield predictions, ROI calcs. Export for projects instantly.
Share demo video in r/solarpunk, university Discord servers for eng students. Email solar course TAs at unis like Berkeley. Free Pro for first 3 reviewers.
Detailed
Desktop expensive
Web, cheap, weather auto
Accurate
Download heavy
Simple student flow
Weather data cache for faster sims + user design library
Solar curriculum surge with global net-zero push
API rate limits
Cache in Supabase
Seasonal use
Year-round features
Success: 60% would pay
Success: 80% positive NPS
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