Photovoltaic Potential (on-roof)

Calculate solar energy potential for buildings using syte's advanced PV analysis based on high-precision LoD2 3D building models and meteorological data.

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you're familiar with API authentication and geocoding addresses.

How syte Calculates PV Potential

syte's PV potential calculation leverages 42 million LoD2 3D building models across Germany, combined with sophisticated solar radiation modeling using the pvlib-python library. The system calculates direct, diffuse sky, and ground diffuse radiation components for each roof surface.

Key Calculation Parameters:

• Solar panel area: 78% of total roof area
• Panel efficiency: 15% (default)
• Performance ratio: 0.75 (accounts for system losses)
• Based on typical meteorological year data

Learn more: PV Potential Announcement | Technical Details

Note: Current calculations do not account for roof structures (chimneys, windows) or shading effects from surrounding buildings or vegetation. Results represent theoretical maximum potential.

Available PV APIs

Endpoint	Input	Use Case
/api/potential/on-roof-building-pv	syte building identifier	When you have the building ID
/api/potential/on-roof-building-pv-at	Geo-coordinate (lat/lng)	Find PV potential for building at specific coordinates
/api/potential/on-roof-property-pv	syte property identifier	Aggregate PV potential for entire property
/api/potential/on-roof-property-pv-at	Geo-coordinate (lat/lng)	Find PV potential for property at specific coordinates
/api/potential/on-roof-roof-pv	syte roof identifier	PV potential for individual roof surfaces

Example Workflow

Step 1: Geocode the Address

First, obtain the latitude and longitude for your target building. You can use the geocoding guide to convert an address to coordinates, or use coordinates from your own data source.

Step 2: Fetch PV Potential

Use the /api/potential/on-roof-building-pv-at endpoint to get comprehensive PV potential data for the building at your coordinates:

Fetch PV Potential for Building

Step 3: Understanding the Response

The API returns a GeoJSON object with PV potential metrics in the properties field:

{
  "building_identifier": "DENW49AL00009XAp",
  "roof_area": 169.66,              // Total roof area in m²
  "solar_panel_area": 119.53,       // Installable panel area in m²
  "pv_peakpower": 18.68,            // Peak power in kWp
  "yearly_pv_potential": {
    "solar_irradiation": 846.49,    // Total yearly irradiation in kWh
    "pv_potential": 11388.15,       // Average predicted yearly energy in kWh
    "pv_potential_min": 11388.15,   // Minimum predicted yearly energy
    "pv_potential_max": 11388.15    // Maximum predicted yearly energy
  },
  "monthly_pv_potential": [         // Array of 12 monthly values
    {
      "month": 0,                   // January (0-indexed)
      "solar_irradiation": 18.00,
      "pv_potential": 242.41,
      "pv_potential_min": 242.41,
      "pv_potential_max": 242.41
    },
    {
      "month": 1,                   // February
      "solar_irradiation": 33.63,
      "pv_potential": 452.74,
      "pv_potential_min": 452.74,
      "pv_potential_max": 452.74
    }
    // ... months 2-11 (March-December)
  ]
}

View the complete list of available attributes in the on-roof-building-pv-at API documentation.

Additional Resources

PV Potential Data Schema
View the complete data model and field descriptions
Fetching Building Data
Learn how to fetch complementary building information
Geocoding Guide
Convert addresses to coordinates