Show HN: Helios – what plug-in solar could generate for any address in Britain

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Summary

Helios is a web tool that estimates the potential plug-in solar generation for any address in Britain, helping users assess if it's worth installing.

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&#x27;s worth against your tariff.<p>It uses UK government LIDAR data to reflect the actual skyline, so it knows whether there&#x27;s a building or a hill blocking the sun.<p>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).<p>Feedback on the shading model especially welcome.
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# Helios. Is plug-in solar worth it? Source: [https://helios.southlondonscientific.com/](https://helios.southlondonscientific.com/) Built by[South London Scientific](https://github.com/ruaraidhd)\.·[Privacy](https://helios.southlondonscientific.com/privacy.html)

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