The engine powering PlantPredict’s web interface is the PlantPredict API (Application Programming Interface). All of the calculations, models and algorithms necessary to process data, manage the asset libraries, and run complex utility-scale energy predictions are done by PlantPredict’s API – in other words, “the backend” of PlantPredict.
Anyone with a PlantPredict account and access to their API credentials (through their company administrator) can access all of PlantPredict’s functionality through the API directly. This enables powerful scripting and automation of high-time-resolution, complex, utility-scale energy predictions, which in turn can supercharge your business or analytical needs – a capability that is unparalleled in the industry. No UI interaction necessary!
PlantPredict Python SDK
The PlantPredict Python SDK (Software Development Kit) is currently one of the easiest ways to get started using the API. It is a library/package written in the Python programming language designed to make interacting with the PlantPredict API easy for developers, engineers, scientists, students, and anyone with a very basic understanding of Python. External documentation including installation instructions and many example use cases can be found here: PlantPredict Python SDK Read the Docs
Postman Documentation
We also offer documentation on our API and how to interact with our API using Postman here: Postman Documentation
This documentation is a comprehensive overview of all the API endpoints with code examples in various programming languages.
Q: Do I need to be a Python expert to get started?
A: No. If using the SDK, you should have at least basic understanding of Python 3 (there are plenty of free resources to learn online). Beyond that, the documentation contains examples that should serve as a sufficient template to get started.
Q: How do I download the SDK?
A: The best way to download the SDK is via pip install plantpredict. Read the documentation for more information, particularly if you are unfamiliar with pip/virtual environments.
Q: Do I need an API access token?
A: Sort of – each user can be granted a client ID, and client secret by their respective “Company Admin”. These credentials are used to generate an access token for each Python session. Read more about this here.
Q: Is it free?
A: API Access is restricted to PlantPredict Premium Business and Enterprise users only, which does cost money.
Q: Is there a rate limit?
A: Nope.
Q: Can the SDK do everything that I can do in the web user interface?
A: In short, yes. The SDK is capable of replicating (and automating) any feature in the web interface. All of the core functionality is currently implemented in the SDK. However, the SDK is under continuous development and will reach complete 100% feature parity over time.
Q: Are the SDK and Web Interface related?
A: Yes. The SDK and Web Interface both access PlantPredict’s server and database via the same API. Changes made via the SDK are reflected in the web interface, and vice versa.
It is actually recommend that users use the web interface to validate actions made via the SDK, especially when first starting out. Using the SDK in combination with the web interface is a great way to create fast, accurate predictions.