nrel.pvwatts.estimate
Calculate monthly and annual AC energy production (kWh) for a residential or commercial solar PV system at any global location. Uses NSRDB satellite-derived solar resource data. Returns monthly AC/DC energy, capacity factor, plane-of-array irradiance, and solar radiation. Unique — no other tool i...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/nrel.pvwatts.estimate.md
What nrel.pvwatts.estimate does on Apibase
AI agents call nrel.pvwatts.estimate to retrieve information from Apibase without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tilt | number | — | Module tilt angle in degrees from horizontal (0=flat/horizontal, 90=vertical). Default 20. |
losses | number | — | System losses percentage (0-99). Accounts for wiring, soiling, shading. Default 14 (NREL recommended). |
azimuth | number | — | Array azimuth angle: 0=north, 90=east, 180=south (default, optimal in Northern Hemisphere), 270=west. |
latitude | number | Yes | Site latitude in decimal degrees (global, WGS84). Example: 37.7749 (San Francisco), 51.5074 (London). |
longitude | number | Yes | Site longitude in decimal degrees (global, WGS84). Example: -122.4194 (San Francisco), -0.1278 (London). |
array_type | integer | — | Array mount type: 0=Fixed open rack, 1=Fixed roof mount (default), 2=1-axis tracking, 3=1-axis backtracking, 4=2-axis tracking. |
module_type | integer | — | Solar module type: 0=Standard (polycrystalline), 1=Premium (monocrystalline, default), 2=Thin Film. |
system_capacity | number | Yes | System DC nameplate capacity in kilowatts (kW). Example: 5 for a typical residential system, 100 for commercial. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why nrel.pvwatts.estimate is rated Low
Tool retrieves solar production estimates using satellite data without creating, modifying, executing code, or causing side effects.
From the tool's definition Calculate...production...Returns monthly AC/DC energy, capacity factor, irradiance
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs nrel.pvwatts.estimate safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Apibase, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For nrel.pvwatts.estimate, this is the rule to start with:
nrel.pvwatts.estimate is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Apibase, apply this rule, and every nrel.pvwatts.estimate call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about nrel.pvwatts.estimate
Calculate monthly and annual AC energy production (kWh) for a residential or commercial solar PV system at any global location. Uses NSRDB satellite-derived solar resource data. Returns monthly AC/DC energy, capacity factor, plane-of-array irradiance, and solar radiation. Unique — no other tool in this catalog estimates solar PV output. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
nrel.pvwatts.estimate accepts 8 parameters: tilt, losses, azimuth, latitude, longitude, array_type, module_type, system_capacity. Required: latitude, longitude, system_capacity. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for nrel.pvwatts.estimate: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Apibase. Nothing to install.
nrel.pvwatts.estimate is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the nrel.pvwatts.estimate rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for nrel.pvwatts.estimate. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
nrel.pvwatts.estimate is provided by the Apibase MCP server (apibase-mcp-client). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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