Response formats

Data endpoints can return JSON, CSV, or HTML. JSON is recommended for integrations. Output versioning is controlled by the format parameter — pass a media type and, for JSON or CSV, an optional version suffix.

Selecting a format

On GET requests you can choose the response format in three ways:

Accept header — e.g.Accept: application/json
format query parameter — e.g.format=json
File extension on the path — e.g./data/forecast/radiation_and_weather.json

On POST,PUT, andPATCH requests, send request parameters in the JSON body and select the response format with the Accept header or a format query parameter on the URL.

Common formats

HTML

Accept text/html

Query format=html (or omit format)

Default when no format is specified. Useful for browser exploration.

JSON

Accept application/json

Query format=json

Standard JSON response. Version 1 remains the default for existing users who have not opted in until 1 February 2027. Use format=json;version=3 for version 3.

CSV

Accept text/csv

Query format=csv

Comma-separated values plain text. Available on supported data endpoints. Version 1 remains the default for existing users until 1 February 2027; use format=csv;version=3 for version 3.

Format versions

format=json and format=csv return the legacy version by default for existing users until 1 February 2027. Append ;version=3 — e.g. format=json;version=3 or format=csv;version=3 — to request version 3 explicitly on individual requests.

The live and forecast endpoints listed below are being brought into line with the response format used on other product endpoints. Historic radiation and weather already uses the new date format and is also receiving finer air_temp precision under this version. New users receive the new version by default on those endpoints. Existing users stay on the legacy version unless they opt in. To change your account default without updating the format query string on every request, sign in to the Solcast toolkit and opt in to the new version. The legacy version will be retired on 1 February 2027, after which the new version becomes the default for all users.

On live and forecast endpoints for irradiance and weather, rooftop PV power, and advanced PV power, version 3 matches the format already used elsewhere. Compared with version 1 on these endpoints, version 3 differs in two ways in both JSON and CSV:

Date format — version 3 uses an explicit UTC offset, e.g.2024-07-17T11:30:00+00:00, instead of legacy version2024-07-17T11:30:00.0000000Z.
air_temp precision —air_temp is returned as a double rather than an integer, giving finer resolution (e.g. 20.1 instead of 20).

On historic irradiance and weather, the new date format is already in use. Version 3 also applies the finer air_temp precision described above.

Format examples

Requesting different response formats

GET — format query (JSON v1)

curl "https://api.solcast.com.au/data/forecast/radiation_and_weather?latitude=-33.8567&longitude=151.2152&format=json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

GET — JSON version 3

curl "https://api.solcast.com.au/data/forecast/radiation_and_weather?latitude=-33.8567&longitude=151.2152&format=json;version=3" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

GET — CSV version 3

curl "https://api.solcast.com.au/data/forecast/radiation_and_weather?latitude=-33.8567&longitude=151.2152&format=csv;version=3" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

GET — Accept header

curl "https://api.solcast.com.au/data/forecast/radiation_and_weather?latitude=-33.8567&longitude=151.2152" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

GET — file extension

curl "https://api.solcast.com.au/data/forecast/radiation_and_weather.csv?latitude=-33.8567&longitude=151.2152" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

POST — format via query string

curl -X POST "https://api.solcast.com.au/resources/pv_power_site?format=json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"resource_id":"your-resource-id","name":"My Site","latitude":-33.8567,"longitude":151.2152}'