SolarForge

01 — Hero Landing Page

app.example.com/landing-auth

Design Your Solar Future in 3D

Reconstruct your home from satellite imagery in seconds. Visualize panel layouts, sunlight heat maps, and 25-year savings — all in one place.

☀️

12s

Home Reconstruction

94%

Avg Energy Offset

$68K

25-yr Savings

28

Avg Panels Placed

Real Production Data — No Guesswork

12,450

kWh Estimated Annual Production

↑ +8% vs regional avg

Energy Offset

Typical US home

Monthly Solar Production Estimate (kWh)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

02 — Login / Sign Up

app.example.com/landing-auth

Welcome Back to SolarForge

✉️

🔒

4,200+

Homeowners Designed This Month

↑ +18% MoM

No installer required

01 — My Projects Overview

app.example.com/project-dashboard

Your Solar Projects

3

Active Projects

28

Panels Placed

9.6 kW

Peak System Size

$68,400

Best 25-yr Savings

12,450

Estimated Annual Production (kWh)

↑ +6% vs prior design

94%

Energy Offset

↑ Above avg for ZIP 94103

2

days ago

742 Evergreen Terrace — Panel Layout Updated

28 panels · 9.6 kW · $68,400 projected 25-yr savings

5

days ago

1600 Pennsylvania Ave — Roof Geometry Complete

4 roof faces · 2,140 sq ft usable area · TSRF 96.2%

1

week ago

221B Baker Street — Financial Model Generated

7.2 yr payback · 312% ROI · IRR 14.2%

Portfolio Monthly Production Estimate (kWh)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

02 — Project Detail — 742 Evergreen Terrace

app.example.com/project-dashboard

742 Evergreen Terrace, San Francisco CA 94103

3D Editor

Heat Map

Financials

Battery

Report

28

Panels

9.6 kW

System DC

8.4 kW

Inverter AC

14 kWh

Battery Backup

Roof Coverage

1,862 / 2,140 sq ft usable

Energy Offset

11,703 / 12,450 kWh

$68,400

25-Year Net Savings

↑ +$4,200 with 14 kWh battery

7.2 yrs

Payback Period

↑ 0.8 yrs below CA avg

Design Complete

01 — Panel Layout — Auto-Fill Mode

app.example.com/panel-editor-3d-

Panel Editor — 742 Evergreen Terrace

Auto Layout

Manual Place

Obstacles

Wiring

28

Panels Placed

9.6 kW

System Size

412 W

Panel Rating

94%

Energy Offset

28

Panels on Roof

↑ Auto-fill across 3 faces

Roof Utilised

1,862 sq ft of 2,140 usable

Panels Per Roof Face

South

SW Face

West

North

Chimney Setback Applied — 3 ft exclusion zone

2 panels removed from south-west face automatically

Vent Obstacle Detected — Row 3, Col 4

Panel auto-routed around 18in plumbing vent

Snap to Grid (0.25 m)

Auto-Fill Optimal Orientation

02 — Panel Editor — Shade & Obstacle Analysis

app.example.com/panel-editor-3d-

Shade Analysis — Summer Solstice · 12:00 PM

Auto Layout

Manual Place

Obstacles

Wiring

4.2%

Annual Shade Loss

↑ -1.1% after panel repositioning

98.7%

Panel Efficiency (shade-adjusted)

↑ Excellent — micro-inverter config

Monthly Shade Loss (% of Production)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Chimney Shadow — Panel rows 1–2, Dec–Feb

Estimated 310 kWh/yr loss · Micro-inverter recommended

Neighbour Tree — NW corner panels (3 panels)

Estimated 88 kWh/yr loss · Consider excluding row 4

Net Production Efficiency

After full shade derating

Show Dec 21 Shadow Overlay

Highlight Underperforming Panels

01 — Roof Face Detection & Editing

app.example.com/roof-geometry-editor

Roof Geometry — 742 Evergreen Terrace

Faces

Ridges & Valleys

Obstacles

Export

4

Roof Faces

28°

Avg Pitch

2,140

Usable sq ft

180°

South Azimuth

4

Detected Roof Faces

↑ Auto-extracted from satellite mesh

Roof Face Usable Area by Orientation (sq ft)

South

SW Face

West

North

South Face — 32° pitch · 180° azimuth · 890 sq ft

Optimal orientation · TSRF 98.4% · Highest priority

SW Face — 28° pitch · 225° azimuth · 620 sq ft

Good orientation · TSRF 91.2%

West Face — 25° pitch · 270° azimuth · 430 sq ft

Fair orientation · TSRF 78.5%

North Face — 30° pitch · 0° azimuth · 200 sq ft

Not recommended · TSRF 42.1% · Excluded from layout

Lock Auto-Detected Roof Edges

02 — Obstacle Placement — Chimneys & Vents

app.example.com/roof-geometry-editor

Roof Obstacles — Detection & Manual Entry

Faces

Ridges & Valleys

Obstacles

Export

3

Auto-Detected

2

Manual Added

142

sq ft Excluded

3 ft

Default Setback

Chimney — South Face, 14 ft from ridge

3 ft setback · 28 sq ft exclusion · Auto-detected from mesh

Plumbing Vent — SW Face, row 3

2 ft setback · 6 sq ft exclusion · Auto-detected

HVAC Unit — West Face, NW corner

3 ft setback · 48 sq ft exclusion · Manually placed

Skylight — South Face, centre

No setback · 60 sq ft exclusion · Auto-detected

142

Total Excluded Area (sq ft)

↓ 6.6% of gross usable roof

Usable Roof After Obstacles

1,998 sq ft of 2,140

01 — Annual Sunlight Heat Map

app.example.com/irradiation-heat-maps

Annual Irradiation Heat Map — kWh / m² / yr

Annual

Monthly

Hourly

Compare Faces

1,842

Peak kWh/m²/yr

5.04

Peak Sun Hrs/Day

4.8°C

Avg Cell Temp

0.97

Irradiance Factor

1,842

Peak Annual Irradiation (kWh/m²)

↑ Top 15% for Northern CA

5.04

Avg Daily Peak Sun Hours

↑ Excellent for PV production

Monthly Global Horizontal Irradiance (kWh/m²)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

South Face Solar Access

vs. unshaded theoretical max

SW Face Solar Access

vs. unshaded theoretical max

Overlay Diffuse vs Direct Irradiance

Show Panel Shade Overlay on Mesh

02 — Hourly Irradiation — June Solstice

app.example.com/irradiation-heat-maps

Hourly Irradiance Profile — June 21 · South Face

Annual

Monthly

Hourly

Compare Faces

Hourly Plane-of-Array Irradiance (W/m²) — Jun 21

6AM

7AM

8AM

9AM

10AM

11AM

12PM

1PM

2PM

3PM

4PM

5PM

6PM

7PM

1,010

W/m² Peak Irradiance

↑ Jun 21 · 12:45 PM solar noon

8.2

Productive Hours (above 200 W/m²)

↑ Summer solstice maximum

6

AM

Sunrise — Low angle, diffuse production begins

Effective panel output starts approx. 7:30 AM

12

PM

Solar Noon — Peak production window

1,010 W/m² · All 28 panels at rated output

7

PM

Sunset — Generation ends

Last 0.8 kWh collected between 6–7 PM

June Production Index

Best month of the year

01 — 25-Year Financial Model — Summary

app.example.com/financial-projections

25-Year Financial Projection — 742 Evergreen Terrace

Summary

Cashflow

Incentives

Financing

Export

$68,400

25-yr Net Savings

7.2 yrs

Payback Period

14.2%

IRR

312%

Total ROI

$68,400

25-Year Net Savings

↑ +$4,200 with 14 kWh battery add-on

7.2 yrs

Simple Payback Period

↑ 0.8 yrs faster than CA avg

Cumulative Net Savings Trajectory ($K)

Y1

Y3

Y5

Y7

Y10

Y15

Y20

Y25

Federal ITC Applied

$9,216 credit on $30,720 system

Gross System Cost — $30,720

28 × REC Alpha 430W · Enphase IQ8A · Installation included

Net Cost After Federal ITC (30%) — $21,504

$9,216 Investment Tax Credit applied at filing

NPV Positive from Year 8

02 — Financing Scenarios & Utility Rate Sensitivity

app.example.com/financial-projections

Financing Options & Utility Rate Sensitivity

Summary

Cashflow

Incentives

Financing

Export

2.99%

Solar Loan APR

$142/mo

Loan Payment

$210/mo

Current Utility Bill

$68/mo

Day-1 Net Savings

25-yr Savings by Utility Rate Escalation Scenario ($K)

2%/yr

3%/yr

4%/yr

5%/yr

6%/yr

$210

Current Monthly PG&E Bill

↓ E-TOU-C time-of-use rate

4.0%

Assumed Utility Rate Escalation

↓ Historical CA avg: 3.8%/yr

Cash Purchase — $21,504 net · 7.2 yr payback

Maximum lifetime savings · Full ITC benefit · No debt

Solar Loan — $142/mo at 2.99% APR / 20 yr

Day-1 positive cashflow · $68/mo net saving vs utility

Lease / PPA — $0 down · $110/mo fixed for 25 yr

Lower net savings · No ownership · No ITC benefit

Day-1 Bill Offset (Loan)

vs current $210/mo utility

01 — Backend Integration Status

app.example.com/settings-integrations

Backend Integrations — Live Status

Integrations

API Keys

Panel Library

Account

4

Active Integrations

99.8%

Uptime (30d)

118ms

Avg Latency

0

Failed Jobs (7d)

NREL PVWatts v8 — Irradiation Engine

Connected · Last sync 2 min ago · 14 ms avg · All endpoints healthy

Google Solar API — Satellite & Mesh

Connected · 2 cm resolution · Roof mesh extraction active

Financial Orchestrator — Internal gRPC

Connected · 25-yr model engine v2.4.1 · 102 ms avg

CEC Panel Database — Certified Products

Connected · 2,841 panels indexed · Refreshed weekly

99.8%

Aggregate API Uptime (30 Days)

↑ SLA target: 99.5%

API Calls Per Day — Last 7 Days

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

02 — Panel Library & Editor Defaults

app.example.com/settings-integrations

Panel Library & Editor Default Configuration

Integrations

API Keys

Panel Library

Account

2,841

CEC Panels

412 W

Default Rating

3 ft

Chimney Setback

0.02m

Panel Gap

⚡

Default Panel Model

REC Alpha Pure-RX 430W — 21.9% efficiency

Change

🔋

Default Inverter

Enphase IQ8A Microinverter — 97.6% CEC efficiency

Change

🏠

Setback Rules

3 ft chimney · 2 ft vent · 18 in eave · 3 ft ridge

Edit

📐

Panel Orientation

Portrait · 0.02 m inter-panel gap · Row spacing 0.05 m

Edit

Enable Auto-Layout on New Projects

Show Shade Analysis by Default

Include Battery Storage in All Quotes

2,841

CEC Certified Panels in Library

↑ Updated 3 days ago

Feature Stack & Deliverables

Complete overview of confirmed features, deliverable items, and technical architecture for SolarForge.

🏗️

Tech Stack

React Three FiberThree.jsReact + TypeScriptNREL PVWatts v8Google Solar APIZustand + React Query

⚡

Core Technologies

⚛️

React Three Fiber — 3D panel editor, roof mesh renderer, and shadow volume overlay

🎲

Three.js — WebGL mesh reconstruction, raycasting, heat map texture overlays

🛠️

React + TypeScript — Component architecture for editor, financial, and map UI layers

☀️

NREL PVWatts v8 — Irradiation modelling, annual/hourly GHI, shade derating engine

🛰️

Google Solar API — Satellite imagery source and roof mesh extraction pipeline

🔄

Zustand + React Query — Editor state, undo/redo stack, and backend data sync layer

📦

V1 Deliverables Checklist

Panel Editor — snapping, auto-fill, obstacle avoidance, live shade overlay in R3F
Roof Geometry Editor — face detection, edge dragging, pitch and azimuth controls
Annual and hourly irradiation heat map rendered as texture on 3D roof mesh
25-year financial model UI with cash/loan/PPA scenarios, ITC calculation, and PDF export
Map-based address lookup and satellite roof preview layer
Battery backup simulator — capacity, cycle degradation, time-of-use optimisation
Integration layer — NREL PVWatts, Google Solar API, internal gRPC financial orchestrator
CEC panel and inverter library with search, filter, and per-project selection UI
Shade analysis engine — chimney, vent, and tree shadow volumes over panel grid
Shareable design report — PDF with 3D layout render, production data, and financial summary

🔧

Architecture Layers

3D Rendering

React Three Fiber / Three.js

Roof mesh, panel grid geometry, shadow volumes, heat map texture projection, orbit controls, raycasting for panel hit-testing and selection

Application State

React + TypeScript + Zustand

Panel editor state, roof geometry store, obstacle registry, financial model inputs, undo/redo command stack, user session

Irradiation & Solar Data

NREL PVWatts v8 + Google Solar API

Annual/monthly/hourly GHI data, satellite roof mesh extraction, TSRF per face, shade derating coefficients

Financial Engine

Internal gRPC + REST

25-year DCF model, federal ITC and state incentive calculation, utility rate escalation, loan/PPA/cash scenarios, PDF report generation

Data & Sync

React Query + WebSockets

Project persistence, real-time layout recalculation, CEC panel database polling, backend job status and orchestration events

SolarForge

Landing & Auth

Project Dashboard

Panel Editor (3D)

Roof Geometry Editor

Irradiation & Heat Maps

Financial Projections

Settings & Integrations

SolarForge

Feature Stack & Deliverables

Tech Stack

Core Technologies

V1 Deliverables Checklist

Architecture Layers