Project Info
Inspiration
If we could harness all the energy that reaches the Earth from the Sun, we'd be able to power every machine and home until the end of humanity with no waste generated. ##
What it does
Solara lets you enter any address and instantly see: Panel placement using satellite roof analysis Savings calculations based on your local utility rates ROI including an 30% federal tax credit Environmental impact (CO₂ offset, trees equivalent) Local installers and permit requirements for your area AI chatbot powered by Google Gemini to answer your solar questions ##
How we built it
Frontend: Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Mapbox GL for interactive satellite maps APIs: Google Solar API for roof analysis, NREL PVWatts for generation estimates, OpenEI for utility rates, Google Places for local installers AI: Google Gemini powers a context-aware chatbot that knows your specific solar analysis Deployment: Vercel ##
Challenges we ran into
Sifting through Google APIs to pick the most valuable information without overwhelming users. ##
Accomplishments we're proud of
Complete analysis in under 3 seconds for any US address Smart fallback system, the app works even without premium API keys The chatbot actually knows your specific numbers, not generic solar info ##
What we learned
How solar economics actually work (tax credits, net metering, degradation rates) The complexity of local permitting, historic districts, coastal zones, HOAs all matter API rate limiting and fallbacks are crucial for hackathon demos ##
What's next
Battery storage recommendations based on usage patterns Climate projections showing generation estimates for 2030, 2040 Comparison mode to evaluate multiple addresses side-by-side Integration with local installers for instant quote requests
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Technology
- Next.jsUnchecked
- VercelUnchecked
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AI coding agents
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Codebase size
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