Bankable solar resource and weather data
Solcast is independently validated as the lowest uncertainty solar resource dataset
Compared with NSRDB, Solcast has lower uncertainty, global coverage, is faster to access, and is easier to use.
Solcast offers a bankable alternative to the NREL NSRDB at low cost and with free and open access to researchers.
Solcast is trusted by 14,000+ unique users
We’ve prepared an in-depth comparison using published statistics from Solcast and NSRDB.
Our goal is to make your work easier. We want to make it easy for you to understand how we compare.
| Solcast | NSRDB | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Bias Error | 0.00% | 0.30% |
| Std. Deviation | 2.00% | 2.70% |
| Resolution | 1-2km | 4km |
| RMSE | 16.50% | 22.90% |
| Price | $$ | Free |
Solcast data is built using industry-leading satellite to solar irradiance models, including tracking the impact of aerosols and detailed cloud modelling algorithms
We built an entirely new approach to solar irradiance modelling using the latest in high-resolution weather satellites, machine learning, computer vision and big data. The resulting level of detail flows into our historical dataset and TMY, producing the most accurate solar resource dataset every created, and fully capturing the impacts of interannual variability at high-resolution.
- Bankable, trusted, accurate
- Lowest uncertainty available, zero bias
- Global coverage (all six major continents)
- Independent validation
- Flexible pricing
- Volume discounts for heavy users
- Free for researchers
- 1-2km spatial resolution
- 1/5/10/15/30/60 temporal resolution
- Compatible with PVSyst, SAM, HOMER, and more
- P50, P75, P90, P95, PXX scenarios
- Includes aerosol impacts (tracking of smoke, dust, haze)
- Consulting
Customers use Solcast data to
- Yield assessment
- Project financing
- DER modelling
- Asset monitoring & performance
- Technical due diligence
- Risk modelling
- PPAs
- Grid planning