What's Changed
Minimum Home Assistant version 2024.11
- Add auto-dampening feature by @autoSteve
- Modified dampening factors are applied from start of current day by @autoSteve
- Fix for translated sensors max attr size exceeded by @autoSteve
- Monitor solcast-dampening.json for create/update/delete by @autoSteve
- Add last_attempt attribute to api_last_polled entity by @autoSteve
- Add allow action site parameter with hyphen or underscore by @autoSteve
- Add test for unusual azimuth by @autoSteve
- Fix Energy dashboard start/end points by @autoSteve
- Attribution attributes only where credit is due by @autoSteve
Full Changelog: v4.3.5...v4.4.0
Auto-dampening
This is quite a handy new feature, built based upon the feedback and experience of community members.
A "dampening factor" is simply an adjustment to the forecast to account for the local environment. It can adjust for an annoying tree casting a shadow over solar panels, or a chimney, or simply your own gabled roof casting a shadow in Winter when the sun is low on the horizon reducing expected generation. It is a factor to correct that which Solcast cannot, and needed factors tend to shift with the seasons.
Dampening factors have been a feature of this integration for a while now, but have been very "hands on", or complex to automate.
Auto-dampening is designed to dynamically adjust for localised predictable shading.
An automation to model and set forecast dampening has been one that folks have had varying degrees of success with in the past, depending on skill level and available data, so to have a built-in automated model is a basic win for those that don't want to, or have an okay set up that could be better, or can't because they don't have the skills to set something up.
So now we do it, and you don't need to go there unless you want to. (And you still can, if needed, or you can contribute your experience to make the built-in auto-dampening feature even better.)
Monitor granular dampening file
In previous releases you could modify the contents of config/solcast-dampening.json and the changes would be loaded at the next forecast update. (This was an alternative to using the service action.) This release introduces active monitoring of this file to ensure that any create/update/delete operation is reflected near instantaneously in the forecast values.
Unusual azimuth check
An ignorable repair issue is now raised as a warning where the orientation of a rooftop site doesn't fit a "typical" PV installation scenario (e.g. North-ish facing panels in the northern hemisphere). It does happen, so ignore the "repair" dialogue if this is the case for you. If it is not then you might have an issue with an azimuth setting at Solcast. Check the readme, as Solcast azimuth is 0°=North, unlike Forecast.Solar where azimuth is 0°=South. (If you're migrating from Forecast.Solar then you can not use the same azimuth with the Solcast service.)
Add last_attempt attribute
The current state of forecast update health may now be determined as "healthy" when api_last_polled is greater than or equal to the last_attempt attribute of that entity, or "unhealthy" for the opposite. "Unhealthy" does not mean that dependent automations will break, but rather that out-of-date forecast information is being relied on, and that might be significant and good to know.
Hyphen / underscore for site parameter in service actions
A few releases back, the presentation of Solcast rooftop site resource IDs in attributes was changed to replace hyphens with underscores. This was because Home Assistant and Python nuances. For consistency, service action site parameters will now also accept site resource IDs having hyphens or underscores, and will return IDs in the same format as the request.
Energy dashboard
Depending on time of year, the starting and ending points of a forecast dashed line were not dropping to zero on the Energy dashboard. They do now. Or rather, they will, or will almost (because "almost" is actually more visually pleasing in many circumstances. 😉)
