Sun Position Detection API - SolarisUPV (also known as Sun Position Recognition API or Sun Position Detector API) is a cross browsers REST API which get a JSON input with a still photo (as base64 encoded string), containing sun on the sky and returns a JSON string which contains a base64 encoded string photo with sun within boundingbox, confidence score, timestamp, vertices for bounding boxes of sun, position of the boundingbox, also pan angle and tilt angle that the solar photovoltaic panel must be rotated and/or tilted with, in order to have the sun centered in the photo and in that way the yield of the solar photovoltaic panel is maximum.
The goal of this API is to detect sun position in a photo taken by a camera relative to the center of the photo and calculate the pan angle and the tilt angle of the solar photovoltaic panel so that rotating and /or tilting the solar panel with these angles the sun will be centered in the photo. Since the camera is positioned on the center of a solar photovoltaic panel as you may see in our example sketches here it may command a single solar panel or an entire farm of solar photovoltaic panels to rotate and/or tilt with the calculated angles so that the entire farm of panels will achieve a maximum yield because the panels are facing the sun with proper angles. The neutral position of the solar panels should be placed towards south if the location is in the northern hemisphere, or towards north if the location of the panels is in the southern hemisphere. Of course, there are some limitations in order to get a higher accuracy. We recommend properly exposed, unobstructed JPEG photos at 1920x1080 (full HD resolution) where ratio between height of the sun position and height of entire picture should be at least 1:15. For ratios like 1:16, 1:17, 1:18 and so on the accuracy is lower and the AI algorithm may not see and read the sun position. Filter(s) may be applied on camera. We do not store pictures. Also, the quality and the angles of the camera are very important and it contribute to a higher reading accuracy. It should have varifocal lenses, high shutter speed, full HD resolution. Please see our example sketches here.