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Integrations

Connect pvnode with Home Assistant

This guide shows how to integrate the pvnode Forecast API via the built-in RESTful Sensor in Home Assistant — without any custom component.

Prerequisites

• A running Home Assistant installation
• A pvnode API key (create a key here)
• Access to configuration.yaml (File editor add-on or SSH)

1. Store the API key securely

Open secrets.yaml in the config/ directory (create it if it doesn't exist):

Code
pvnode_api_key: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

2. REST sensor in configuration.yaml

Add the following block to your configuration.yaml and adjust the location and PV configuration:

Code
rest:
  - resource: https://api.pvnode.com/v1/forecast/
    method: GET
    headers:
      Authorization: !secret pvnode_api_key
    params:
      latitude: 48.27564
      longitude: 11.83972
      slope: 30
      orientation: 180
      pv_power_kw: 10
      forecast_days: 2                 # number of forecast days
      required_data: "pv_watts,temp"   # power and temperature are returned
    scan_interval: 3600                # update every 60 minutes
    sensor:
      - name: "pvnode Power Now"
        unique_id: pvnode_power_now
        unit_of_measurement: "W"
        device_class: power
        state_class: measurement
        value_template: >
          {% set rounded = now().replace(second=0, microsecond=0, minute=(now().minute // 15) * 15) %}
          {% set target = rounded.astimezone(timezone('UTC')).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') %}
          {% set match = value_json.values | selectattr('dtm', 'eq', target) | list %}
          {{ match[0].pv_watts | round(0) if match else 0 }}
        json_attributes:
          - values
          - latitude
          - longitude
          - slope
          - orientation
          - elevation

Parameters at a glance

Parameter	Description
latitude / longitude	Location of the PV system
slope	Tilt of the modules in degrees (0 = flat, 90 = vertical)
orientation	Orientation in degrees (0 = north, 90 = east, 180 = south, 270 = west)
pv_power_kw	Installed power in kWp
forecast_days	Number of forecast days (0–7)
required_data	Which fields the API should return - find all data fields here

A complete overview of all parameters and data fields is in the Forecast API documentation.

3. Reload the configuration

After saving, in Home Assistant go to: Developer Tools → YAML → Reload all YAML configuration. On first setup, a restart is required.

Under Developer Tools → States, search for the sensor sensor.pvnode_power_now — the state shows the current power in watts, and in the attributes you'll find the full 15-minute forecast.

4. Visualize the forecast as a chart

With the ApexCharts Card (installable via HACS) you can plot the full forecast series as a curve:

Code
type: custom:apexcharts-card
header:
  show: true
  title: PV Forecast
graph_span: 48h
span:
  start: day
series:
  - entity: sensor.pvnode_power_now
    name: pvnode Forecast
    type: line
    stroke_width: 2
    extend_to: false
    data_generator: |
      return entity.attributes.values.map(point => {
        const utcTime = new Date(point.dtm + 'Z').getTime();
        return [utcTime, point.pv_watts];
      });

Use cases

With the pvnode forecast in Home Assistant you can, for example:

• Control a wallbox: charge the EV when sufficient solar production is expected
• Schedule a heat pump: run hot water preparation during surplus periods
• Optimize a battery: fully charge before expected periods of bad weather
• Load shifting: start the washing machine, dryer or dishwasher at peak times

Tips

• Higher resolution with Nowcasting: with the Nowcasting add-on, the forecast updates every 10 minutes based on live satellite data. Then set scan_interval: 600.
• Multiple systems: for east/west roofs or multiple strings, simply create several REST sensors with different unique_id values.