# Connect pvnode with Solectrus

[Solectrus](https://solectrus.de/) is an open-source dashboard for PV monitoring.
Its forecast collector supports pvnode as a forecast source and writes the
forecast straight into InfluxDB next to your measurements.

:::note
**V1 or V2?** From **version 0.10.0** on, the forecast collector uses the V2 API as
soon as `PVNODE_SITE_ID` is set. Without that variable it runs on the V1 API,
which will be **shut down on 31 Dec 2026** — see [Migration from V1](/en/v2/migration).
:::

## Setup

1. **Create a site.** The collector cannot do this — create your
   [site](https://pvnode.com/sites) with all its PV strings once in pvnode and
   copy the `site_id`. Tilt, orientation, power and everything else is configured
   there from now on ([Sites & Strings](/en/v2/api/sites)).
2. **Get an API key** at [API keys](https://pvnode.com/settings/api-keys).
3. **Configure the collector:**

```bash title=".env"
FORECAST_PROVIDER=pvnode

PVNODE_APIKEY=pvn_my-secret-api-key
PVNODE_SITE_ID=site_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Your pvnode plan: false = Free, true = Light, nowcast = Plus
PVNODE_PAID=nowcast
```

Do not set `PVNODE_PAID` to a higher plan than you actually subscribe to — the
collector would poll more often than your quota allows. There is no polling
interval to configure, the collector picks its own request times. On V2 one
forecast costs one request, no matter how many strings the site has.

## Further options

All remaining variables — InfluxDB, your own request limit, HELIOS configuration
and the V1 variables for location and roof planes — are documented by Solectrus:

**[→ pvnode configuration in the Solectrus documentation](https://docs.solectrus.de/referenz/forecast-collector/konfiguration-pvnode/)**