SunPlanner starts with forecast conditions for the selected location, applies the configured solar system, and estimates how much energy the panels may produce. It shows a center estimate, an expected range, and confidence because one number cannot describe every possible weather outcome.
What weather information affects the estimate?
The forecast provides changing conditions across the day. SunPlanner combines those conditions with the array’s panel count, wattage, direction, tilt, efficiency loss, temperature derate, and location.
The result is predicted solar production. It is not a reading from an inverter, charge controller, battery, or utility meter.
Why does SunPlanner show a range?
Weather forecasts contain uncertainty. The expected range gives the planning number room to move when the conditions may not land exactly on the center estimate.
When weather-model agreement data is available, closer agreement can tighten that day’s range and greater disagreement can widen it. If that agreement data is unavailable, the app can still show a general planning range without claiming the models agreed.
Does every day use the same confidence?
No. Each day has its own range and confidence based on the data available for that day. The confidence label is not a fixed penalty applied only because a date sits farther into the forecast.
That keeps the wording tied to the day on screen. It does not promise that changing weather will stay unchanged for sixteen days.
How does calibration fit into the weather forecast?
Weather describes the expected conditions. Calibration compares SunPlanner’s saved prediction with the actual solar production you log for the same day.
After three usable readings, the learned factor can begin changing later forecasts. Calibration does not rewrite the weather. It adjusts how the configured system’s predicted output compares with its recorded history.
How should I plan solar use on cloudy days?
Use the outlook to compare stronger and weaker planning windows. A stronger day may give more room for flexible charging or other loads. A weaker day may be a reason to conserve, move a task, or prepare another power source.
The range matters as much as the center estimate. If the decision is important, plan around the lower end instead of treating the highest number as guaranteed production.