Renewable energy — and especially solar — is a hot topic in Australia, but it can often be difficult to find accurate information about where and how it is being used.

The platform Australian Solar Mapping Tools aims to help with that. A project of the Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI), the award-winning interactive website lets users trace the contribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy — as in, solar panels — to Australia's electrical grid historically and in real-time, as well as solar PV uptake state-by-state.

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One of the maps shows PV installation by suburb in a part of Australia. Image: APVI

Anna Bruce from the University of New South Wales, one of the researchers behind the tool, told Mashable Australia the project has been of obvious interest to electricity suppliers that want to see where solar is going. Still, potential use by consumers is an even more exciting possibility.

"I think all of this data is going to be more widespread and used to help customers optimise electricity use and reduce their costs," she said. "This is a step towards that."

Image: APVI Before the APVI put their live maps online, there was little information available about how much energy was being generated by solar PV systems, Bruce said. Launched in 2013, the platform now supports a Live Solar PV map, which lets users interact with real-time information about electricity demand and how solar PV contribution is impacting the grid.

Over 6,000 individual solar PV systems or solar panels are now uploading real-time data to the map from their inverters — a device that converts a PV's output into a current that can be fed into the electrical grid. It collects this data from the inverters, as well as from the electricity market around every 15 minutes, Bruce said.

It also provides a per-postcode visualisation of solar PV installation in Australia since 2007.

Bruce said one of the project's key innovations is the Solar Potential tool.

This tool helps users zoom in 3D on their roof and estimate the annual electricity generation and financial savings that would result from installing a solar PV. It takes into account shade from surrounding buildings and vegetation, as well as the tilt and orientation of the roof to give a very accurate idea of output, Bruce added. "It's useful for local government, or any stakeholder who could get a good idea of where the best place to install PV panels are."

For the moment, the Solar Potential tool only covers Australian capital cities — excepting Hobart and Darwin.

"We need to attract additional funding to expand the tool to other areas," Bruce said. "We're hoping that local and state governments might be interested in helping us expand it to be useful to a broader audience."