There are many free solar power monitoring software that can be used to monitor your home based, industrial, and commercial solar panel system. Solar energy, clean and abundant, is emerging as a favorite among alternative energy sources. Home solar energy monitoring & management systems can track energy production and usage over time, which may help brides optimize the system for maximum performance and savings. There are several solutions available, including dedicated monitors, inverter displays, web portals, and mobile apps. Each bearing different features and compatibilities, there are many free software available for computers and mobiles.
It depends on a variety of factors such as unique requirements, compatibility, user-friendly interface, accuracy of data, and budget. Solar power monitoring software helps you keep track of how your solar panels are performing. It’s sort of a checkup for your system. It shows how much energy your panels are generating and will let you know if everything is functioning correctly. This way, you can maximize your solar energy and save on energy bills.
There are many more novel methods researchers are exploring for monitoring solar power. They are experimenting with better sensors and more sophisticated software to make monitoring even more precise. Are you interested in finding out about 10 Free Solar Power Monitoring Software? Read the full story, it will help you If you want to learn more come to solar researchers. They can share helpful insight and even navigate you to the best monitoring options.
What Is a Home Solar Monitoring System?
A home solar monitoring system monitors the production of your solar panels, essentially by giving you real-time data about your energy production, consumption, and system performance. It could be used to optimize your panels, in measure your energy usage and the power output you’re taking out of the energy grid.
Indeed, solar monitoring system involves the use of sensors that help in tracking the performance of the solar panels, communication devices, and software. As it absorbs this energy, it uploads data to a computer or mobile device, giving a panel owner the ability to track each panel’s:
- Production of energy
- Power output
- Energy performance
There are a few ways you can monitor your home solar system:
Solar Monitor
A solar monitor (typically installed alongside your solar panels) can monitor the output of your solar panels.
Inverter LCD
Most inverters have an LCD screen where they can get details about real-time energy production and system condition information.
Inverter web portal
Some inverters provide web portals to log into and see performance numbers and historical data.
Solar monitoring app
Most solar providers will include an app that can be accessed via the internet.
Solar inverter
In case your supplier fails to monitor it, then you can do so using the solar inverter to monitor solar energy generation.
The price for a solar monitoring system can be highly variable depending on what type and how sophisticated the system is. A basic setup might run from $250 to $600, while advanced features, as well as commercial systems, can run into the thousands.
10 Free Solar Power Monitoring Software in 2025
As stated earlier, there are the majority of solar monitoring free apps that keep track of your system’s energy production and performance. It keeps collecting data from the inverter, which tracks the energy produced by solar panels. This data is then transmitted, via Wi-Fi, to the app so you can view production and usage statistics in real time.
With a solar monitoring app, you can keep on top of your energy consumption, switching off appliances you are not currently using to save energy. Here are the top 10 free solar power monitoring software, along with their pros & cons:
- Tesla Monitoring
- PVOutput
- Fronius Solar.web
- Sunny Portal (SMA)
- Growatt ShineServer
- OpenSolaris
- OpenEnergyMonitor (EmonCMS)
- Enphase Enlighten
- HOMER Energy
- IoTaWatt
1. Tesla Monitoring
Tesla is known for making electric vehicles. It has the potential to change the world but they may be better known for is immaculate modern design, and their Tesla app, which is all-in-one, is a prime example. This is one of the best solar monitoring systems. Tesla app give the option to the homeowner to select their preferred method of battery backup or self-consumption for maximizing financial returns.
Pros
- The Tesla app allows you to manage your energy system from anywhere with a comprehensive view of your home.
- Monitor day-to-day operations and understand the flow of energy in your home.
Cons
- Tesla doesn’t include current and historical weather data and doesn’t allow per-panel monitoring.
- It doesn’t have a view where you can compare one time period to the previous one.
- It only offers monitoring through its mobile app and doesn’t have a web portal.
Specifications
- Track your energy usage at home as well as your solar generation and Powerwall charging behavior.
- With impact cards, you can see how your solar system and Powerwall are providing value based on your home’s energy consumption
- Energy rate plans that can quantify the price of consuming or supplying electricity. The rate plan setup process and all your management is through the Tesla app.
2. PVOutput
PVOutput is a free service to share, compare, and monitor live solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy usage information. You can get your consumption recorded by one system, and your generation recorded by another system (that is connected to the inverter) and PVOutput will stitch them together for you – and calculate your ‘grid consumption’ based on the difference between generation and the house load consumption.
Pros
- PVOutput is free and easy to use.
- We can add multiple PV Systems and can combine the data of 2 PV Systems.
- We can compare the output with the output of any other Solare system and can share data with loved ones.
- We can view daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly data.
Cons
- At some point, you need to fill in the data yourself.
- The widget spends most of its time initializing and doesn’t display anything.
- The app doesn’t load data when going back more than 40 days in the daily generation view.
- There is a time zone issue too.
- The data is only as good as the data that people give.
Specifications
- PVOutput works on any device.
- Compatible with most solar panel systems. However, you have to define a method for gathering data from your system.
3. Fronius Solar.web
Fronius Solar.web App delivers a complete monitoring experience for users of Fronius inverters and smart meters. It tracks energy production, consumption, and even environmental savings and instantly displays all data. With an intuitive interface and compatibility with Apple Watch, it makes monitoring your solar panel system easy, whether you’re at home or on the go. The app is user-friendly and compatible with Apple Watch.
Pros
- It displays real-time information about generation, usage, and system health.
- It measures environmental impacts, such as CO2 saved and trees planted.
- It syncs with the Apple Watch for quick reference.
Cons
- It is only compatible with Fronius products.
- Graphs can also have minor errors which may affect the accuracy.
Specification
- Fronius inverters.
- Fronius Smart Meters.
- Fronius batteries.
- Android and iOS phones.
4. Sunny Portal (SMA)
The SMA Energy App is another free solar power monitoring software. It is much more than its version in the market. Now the SMA Energy App has replaced the Sunny Portal App after just over one year of operation in parallel. Because PV systems are becoming increasingly complex the integration of storage and e-mobility will soon be standard.
The new SMA Energy App connects your private energy transition in the home with the shift to e-vehicles on the street. They provide a site called Sunny Portal for monitoring solar systems, with detailed data and alerts that can be received via computers and phones.
Pros
- Basic features are free and available on both web & smartphones.
- It shows bunches of data about your framework and can be accessed from computers and phones.
- Alerts if there are issues.
Cons
- You need to pay for advanced features.
- Some users find it difficult to use the interface.
- It only works well with SMA Inverters.
Specifications
- You can use it in a web browser.
- It refreshes data after some time.
- It represents data using graphs and charts.
- Sends alerts through email or text.
5. Growatt ShineServer
Growatt ShineServer is a web-based monitoring platform for users that oversees the GoSolar systems. It collects data from the inverters and then sends it to a cloud platform, the platform for real-time monitoring! Plus, it offers deep reporting so it allows the users to keep track of their system performance easily. But most importantly, this maximizes energy generation.
Pros
- Shows data of self-consumption and energy trend display.
- It tells you how much energy your system produces.
- It sends alerts if there are any problems in your system.
Cons
- ShineServer is difficult to use for some people.
- Best pairing with Growatt devices only.
- Sometimes the ShineServer website itself has issues as well.
Specifications
- You can use it on a website or mobile app.
- It updates data regularly.
- It stores historical data.
6. OpenSolar
Opensolar is a free online solar design tool. It is the world’s leading solar design and proposal software. It is completely customizable, interactive proposals with multiple system options and fully integrated financing. Designed with simplicity and precision in mind, this software has gained traction due to its ease of use and its standout selling point.
Pros
- OpenSolar is free to use, simplest, fastest, most accurate 3D design tool.
- Anyone can create trusted, bankable proposals in minutes.
- It offers sales tools for solar installers.
Cons
- It takes a bit of tech-savvy. It relies on internet access.
- In the free version of OpenSolar, high-quality images are not available. Users have to rely on Google Maps for satellite imagery, which may not be as specific as some of the paid software.
- While OpenSolar is easy to use, it includes many options that might confuse a novice user. Sometimes it can be challenging to carefully study all the features of the developed platform.
Specifications
- It is web-based software.
- It uses satellite imagery.
- It produces system designs and financial proposals.
7. OpenEnergyMonitor (EmonCMS)
EmonCMS is a web-based open-source energy and environmental data logging application that comes from the OpenEnergyMonitor project. It is compatible with its own OpenEnergyMonitor hardware. It enables detailed energy monitoring and analysis. The OpenEnergyMonitor Solar PV monitor provides real-time and historical information on solar generation on on-site consumption. My Solar is a dashboard app that runs on Emoncms.
Pros
- It is an open-source and free application, that allows you to look at fine-grained energy data.
- It is compatible with a wide variety of sensors.
- Supports home energy, solar PV, and remote temperature monitoring plug-and-play out of the box.
- Easily customized for a variety of applications.
Cons
- It can be complex to set up. You require some technical skills to do it.
- It may need some additional hardware.
- Sometimes due to a delay in the update of Raspberry Pi, it shows old data of generation.
Specifications
- It is a browser application. It stores data in a database.
- It displays data in the form of graphs and charts.
- Raspberry Pi minicomputer to take the data from the sensor node.
8. Enphase Enlighten
Enphase Enlighten is also one of the best monitoring platforms designed for Enphase solar systems which offers detailed panel-level data and performance tracking. Delivering at-a-glance verification, Enlighten gives you the assurance that your Enphase system is performing as expected. It verifies system health and performance. We can view energy production by month, day, or hour and can analyze performance against historical weather data.
Pros
- It displays data for each solar panel.
- It monitors the performance of your system.
- It generates alerts in the event of trouble.
Cons
- It is compatible with only Enphase Systems.
- Some features require a paid subscription.
- It can be pricey compared with basic monitoring.
Specifications
- It is available on the Play Store as well as the App Store.
- Monitor your system status from anywhere and get exact info on how much energy the solar system is producing.
- It provides health checks and reports of the system.
9. HOMER Energy
HOMER is a computer-based software without a license that has been developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S.A. This software application is employed for the design and evaluation of technically and financially viable options for standalone and grid-connected (off-grid and on-grid) power systems in remote and distributed generation genres.
Pros
- Allow users to quickly and efficiently determine the least-cost options
- Simulate real-world performance and deliver a choice of optimized design
- It examines alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind.
- It determines what the system will cost and how well the system will work.
Cons
- At first, learning HOMER Energy is not simple.
- The interface it’s quite complex to understand and this platform takes a longer time to understand.
- It is dependent on you providing good information.
- It is expensive for commercial purposes.
- Running complicated simulations can take time.
Specifications
HOMER Energy is a computer software. It models a multitude of different energy systems. However, it looks into both the tech aspect and the monetary aspect. It produces reports with numbers and images.
10. IoTaWatt
IoTaWatt is a home energy monitor that addresses each application as necessary and with accurate details regarding usage, very extensive and in real-time, of all switches from your home, through the current transformers.
That enables users to monitor energy usage trends and reposition to conserve. You may be wondering just how to use it, and the good news is, it’s open-source so it’s flexible and customizable. It does not transmit your data to a company’s server unless you tell it to do so.
Pros
- Versatile plug-and-play energy monitoring solution as compared to others.
- Excellent third-party integration (e.g. EmonCMS, PVOutput, etc) for retention and graphing.
- It tells you how much energy everything in your house uses.
- They track your energy usage over time.
Cons
- Setting it up also requires a little technical know-how.
- You would have to mount current transformers (CTs) in your electrical panel.
- It does not ship with a fancy phone app, by default.
- It’ll take time to figure out the best ways to use it.
Specifications
- It uses current transformers to measure electricity.
- It links up with your home’s Wi-Fi network.
- It stores data on an SD card. It has a web interface that you access in your browser.
How to Choose the Best PV Power Monitoring Tool?
For choosing the best PV power monitoring software, consider what you need. Are you looking for simple tracking or deeper insight? Then, see if the software is compatible with your equipment. Ensure that it is connected to your solar panels and inverter. My friend who is focusing on startups in the software space often talks about the software being easy to use.
A clean design assists in interpreting the data. After that, find software that provides you with reliable data. It should maintain an accurate history of your system. Lastly, consider the price. Pick something in your price range. The Best home solar monitoring system will focus on real-time data tracking, simple interfaces, and working with different kinds of solar configurations. Here are some top picks:
- Enphase Enlighten
- mySolarEdge
- Tesla app
- SMA SunnyPortal
- Sense Solar
So just be thinking about what you need, if it works with your stuff, how easy is it to use if it provides good information, and then how much it costs. Once you have that alone, you can find the software that suits you. The best ones often come with nice extras as well. Well, or at least, some will tell you if something’s wrong, or let you compare your setup with others. So here are some of those secret features you shouldn’t neglect. All of it together will guide you to the solar monitoring software that is right for you.
What Type of Data Does PV Monitoring System Monitor?
A Solar PV monitoring system is a cloud-based platform that can collect critical parameters from your solar PV system and make it accessible to you anywhere, anytime through an interface. First, it checks the amount of power the system produces. Then it assesses the functioning of the whole components, such as inverters. It also measures temperature. After that, it takes into account weather, like sunlight and outdoor temperature. So it captures the entirety of the system.
Energy Production
This represents the most fundamental data point: how much electricity your solar panels are producing. It’s commonly expressed as kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Energy Consumption
It indicates how much electricity is being used in your home or building. This allows you to understand what percentage of your energy needs are being met by your solar system.
System Performance
This can include data on the voltage, current, and power output of your solar panels and inverters. It helps to note down any problems in the individual components.
Environmental Conditions
Each of them has data about sunlight (irradiance), temperature, and weather conditions. These are some of the circumstances which can affect energy production in your system.
System Status
This provides the operational status of your system with errors or alerts. This allows you to easily spot and fix problems.
How Do I Monitor My Solar Panel Usage?
Whether you install a solar power monitoring system that is built in or have installed a separate dedicated solar power monitoring system, it plays to see how this data is used.
Most solar PV systems include an app you can download to your phone or other device or have a web-based interface to monitor usage. Normally, you will have access to some kind of dashboard of data that you can use to monitor your system as follows:
- How many kilowatts are currently being delivered to your home at the time you are viewing?
- You can see how many kilowatt hours of energy your solar PV system has generated for the day
- Over how many kilowatt hours of energy your solar PV system has produced since it was first installed
Depending on the type of solar PV system and meter you have, you could also see data across the day about how you’re using electricity and how much of that electricity was generated by your particular solar PV system or supplied by the energy system.
If you are using a battery storage system, your dashboard may also track how much energy is added to the battery. You might also be able to monitor when you are using this stored electricity and, conversely, when you will need to draw electricity from the energy system.
To check your solar dashboard, download the relevant app on the App Store or Google Play store, or visit the website of your inverter manufacturer website or the manufacturer of your dedicated solar monitoring system.
Can I Use Free Solar Power Monitoring System for Windows 10?
Yes, there are many free home solar monitoring system software for Windows 10. Some companies that manufacture solar inverters also hand out free software for their products. Additionally, websites such as PVOutput can be accessed through your web browser.
Nonetheless, free programming might come up short on one of the elements that paid programming offers. For instance, it may have less data to evidence or less assistance accessible. While free software is good enough if your tracking is minimal, paid software is more suitable for engaging features.
Free Solar Power Monitoring Software for Android
There are many apps and web versions that solar inverter companies produce for their customers so that they can check solar monitoring with 1 tap. Here is a list of some free monitoring software:
SMA Sunny Design, SMA Smart Connected, Fronius’ Solar-creator, The Tesla Powerwall, SolarView for Solaredge, Growatt – ShinePhone, Fronius Solar.web App, Lux Power View, Enphase Enlighten PureDrive, etc.
- Company Apps: Many solar companies produce complimentary apps. As an example, Enphase produces Enlighten. SolarEdge and SMA also have their proprietary apps, etc. These apps tend to integrate better with those companies’ systems.
- More Apps: Some applications are compatible with other solar systems. SolarPower is one example. However, these may not be compatible with all systems. So, see if it works with yours.
- Web: It can also be a phone-based web. You can use PVOutput for free. You’d have to configure a method of transferring your solar information to the website, also Growatt ShineServer for Growatt inverters, etc.
- Remember if you are using a free app, it’s fine to stick to basic use. Free apps, however, may not have as many functions as paid apps. Then, check that the app is showing you the right data.
Can I Use Solar Power Monitoring Software for iPhone or Android Devices?
All international and some national companies produce apps for iPhones and Androids and we can also access solar data through a website on phones. Also, there are many third-party apps and software through which we can monitor solar systems. Apps and websites like these let us see how much power the system produces. They also alert us if something goes wrong which makes it easy and handy to check up on solar power on the phone.
Final Thought
Solar energy management systems are critical for a sustainable future. They not only reduce carbon emissions but also offer cost savings and energy independence. With advancements in technology, solar systems have become more efficient and accessible. Home solar energy monitoring systems measure your solar panel productivity. They demonstrate how much power you produce and consume. It can be tracked in a few different ways.
This methods include by use of a solar monitor, the screen of your inverter, a website, or a phone application. There are a lot of free software for computers and phones. The available options include PVOutput and Fronius Solar.web, Sunny Portal, and others. According to me, each option has merits and demerits.
There are many factors when considering the best system, for example, what you require, does it connects to your equipment, how user-friendly is it, how accurate the results are, and how much it costs. Checking your system is as easy as it can be with mobile applications and websites. Therefore, in the present paper, some tools for active solar system monitoring have been introduced, which allow for its proper functioning.