Show HN: Helios – what plug-in solar could generate for any address in Britain https://ift.tt/gB3fPvb

Show HN: Helios – what plug-in solar could generate for any address in Britain Plug-in solar panels (no electrician needed) have just become legal in the UK and will go on sale soon. Helios estimates how much electricity a typical installation could generate at a given address and what that's worth against your tariff. It uses UK government LIDAR data to reflect the actual skyline, so it knows whether there's a building or a hill blocking the sun. Caveats: - Outside LIDAR coverage (most of Scotland and Wales) it falls back to a synthetic horizon (less accurate). - Trees and recent developments (post-2022 or so) may not be in the data, and some address placements could be off (geocoding via OSM). Feedback on the shading model especially welcome. https://ift.tt/4Km3PRU May 30, 2026 at 08:08AM