{"id":138,"date":"2023-10-18T19:58:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T19:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/?page_id=138"},"modified":"2026-06-25T07:59:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:59:39","slug":"frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/frequently-asked-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is SolarDashboard?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard monitors your photovoltaic system and shows your solar production, energy consumption and home battery status. Based on this data, SolarDashboard can automatically use surplus solar power for your devices. This allows you to run compatible devices with green energy from your own photovoltaic system. When there is not enough surplus solar power available, the devices are switched off again. For home chargers, SolarDashboard also supports dynamic surplus charging. This means the charging power is adjusted according to the available solar surplus, helping you reduce additional grid consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Welche Ger\u00e4te werden unterst\u00fctzt?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard supports the use of surplus solar power with the following devices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Electric vehicles: \u0160koda Enyaq, Audi e-tron, Seat Cupra Born. As OEMs such as Volkswagen and Tesla continue to restrict API access for third-party developers, we expect other manufacturers to follow. To ensure a more reliable user experience, we are shifting our focus toward expanding support for home chargers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EV home chargers: Alfen, Easee, Fronius Wattpilot, go-e Charger (V2 and newer models), NRGkick, SMA, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Zaptec<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HomeKit &amp; Matter: Smart devices that support HomeKit or Matter, such as sockets, switches, lamps, Shelly, Philips Hue, IKEA smart home devices and many others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why are Tesla vehicles no longer supported?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tesla changed the pricing model for the APIs required to connect to their vehicles. The new API costs are too high and would exceed the potential savings users can achieve with SolarDashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Which inverters or energy meters are supported?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SolarEdge inverter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SMA inverter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tesla Powerwall<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kostal inverter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Huawei inverter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fronius<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GoodWe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enphase<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More integrations will follow soon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are smart meters also supported?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard currently supports Tesla Powerwall, which includes an internal energy meter. <br>Support for additional smart meters \u2014 such as Shelly devices \u2014 is currently planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How are third-party usernames and passwords handled?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Usernames and passwords are not stored directly. Only access tokens are stored securely and encrypted in the iOS or macOS Keychain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Does the app need to run in the foreground?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Solar surplus automation works best when the app remains open in the foreground. An older iPhone or iPad that is permanently connected to power and runs SolarDashboard in the foreground is ideal for this. For example, you can use an older iPad mounted on the wall. SolarDashboard is also available for macOS. If the app and Mac remain open and active, solar and surplus data can be updated frequently and promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Does the app remain active in the background?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On modern iPhones and iPads, the app can generally run in the background. However, the exact update frequency cannot be guaranteed because background behavior is controlled by Apple. On modern devices, updates usually occur approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. The background update interval depends on the battery level, available resources (CPU &amp; RAM) and the type of internet connection, such as Wi-Fi or 5G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How much can I save per year when charging an electric vehicle with SolarDashboard?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard can save several hundred euros per year in electricity costs.<br>The following example shows possible savings in Germany:<br>J\u00e4hrliche Fahrleistung: 15.000 Kilometer<br>Average Model 3 consumption: 16 kWh \/ 100 km<br>Total annual consumption: 2400 kWh<br>Share of charging at home: 75%<br>= 1800 kWh at home and 600 kWh at fast chargers<br>Electricity costs at home without SolarDashboard (at an average of 40 cents \/ kWh): 720 euros<br>Anteil des Ladens mit Solar\u00fcberschuss \u00fcber SolarDashboard: 50% (900 kWh)<br>However, these 900 kWh are not fed into the grid, resulting in lost feed-in compensation of approximately 65 euros<br>Electricity costs with solar surplus: 425 euros (50% grid consumption + 65 euros lost feed-in compensation)<br><strong>Savings of approximately 300 euros per year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What happens if the EV is not near the solar system?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard can automatically determine whether the EV (Audi, VW, Seat, Skoda) is located at the site of the photovoltaic system. Your location data is not used for any other purpose and is not shared with third-party providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Welche Smartphones, Computer und Tablets werden von SolarDashboard unterst\u00fctzt?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard is currently available for iPhone and iPad with iOS 16 or later. It can also be installed on Mac computers running macOS 13 or later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Can I define a minimum battery level when there is not enough solar power available?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. SolarDashboard offers several settings for charging behavior. For example, you can define that a certain charge level must be reached before dynamic surplus charging is enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the impact on iPhone or iPad battery consumption when the app runs continuously?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Background updates are managed efficiently by Apple\u2019s iOS operating system and usually do not have a noticeable impact on the battery level of an iPhone or iPad. However, keeping the app open in the foreground continuously will reduce battery life. A dimmed screen can help. Alternatively, the device can simply remain connected to a charging cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How much does SolarDashboard cost?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard is currently mostly free to use. Some features, such as charging EVs or using HomeKit devices with solar surplus, require a monthly subscription that can be cancelled at any time. Prices vary by country and are shown in the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Welche Matter oder HomeKit-Ger\u00e4te empfehlt ihr?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SolarDashboard already supports a wide range of HomeKit and Matter devices. With Matter, you can connect even more smart home devices and use them directly in SolarDashboard \u2014 including products from Shelly, IKEA and many other manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can I contact the developers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just send us an email at <a href=\"mailto:info@tapwork.de\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">info@tapwork.de<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is SolarDashboard? SolarDashboard monitors your photovoltaic system and shows your solar production, energy consumption and home battery status. Based on this data, SolarDashboard can automatically use surplus solar power for your devices. This allows you to run compatible devices with green energy from your own photovoltaic system. When there is not enough surplus solar [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-138","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"What is SolarDashboard? SolarDashboard monitors your photovoltaic system and shows your solar production, energy consumption and home battery status. Based on this data, SolarDashboard can automatically use surplus solar power for your devices. This allows you to run compatible devices with green energy from your own photovoltaic system. When there is not enough surplus solar&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1711,"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138\/revisions\/1711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/solardashboard.tapwork.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}