Power estimate
BasicClimate Risk Assessment forecasts long-term solar output for investors and banks. The company says it is 98% accurate, which we could not check.
What can SmartHelio help you do?
- 01
Find and rank faults
Autopilot’s Fault Dashboard predicts faults, finds the failing part and ranks what to fix first. It uses physics models of panels and inverters plus AI.
- 02
Ask an AI assistant
GAIA is a chat assistant built on Autopilot. It flags plants making less power than they should, creates maintenance tickets and builds reports from your questions.
- 03
Audit a plant once
One-Time Diagnostics reviews past data you send by CSV file or API. You get a report with a loss chart and a list of actions. The company aims it at investors, banks and buyers of solar plants.
- 04
Send work to technicians
The Site Validation Report lets managers assign faults with clear steps. Technicians use an app to act and report back.
- 05
Watch solar and batteries together
The BESS page shows one view for a solar plant and its battery. You can set alerts for battery temperature, charge level and voltage. It also tracks battery health and warranty status.
Key features
Each feature shows what we found on SmartHelio’s own website, and how sure we are.
Battery design
AdvancedMonitors solar and batteries in one view, with alerts for temperature, charge level (SoC) and voltage. It tracks battery health (SoH), wear and warranty status.
Monitoring
BasicReal-time view of your plants, with alerts by WhatsApp, email or Teams. It reads data from your SCADA and portals by API, so it adds to your monitoring rather than replacing it.
Operations and repair (O&M)
AdvancedAutomatic fault tickets, plant grouping by distance and loss, and a cleaning schedule. Managers assign faults and track them to the end.
Integrations
BasicGAIA connects by API to meteocontrol, SynaptiQ, Power Factors, Sungrow, SolarEdge, Huawei and more.
API
Not foundIt reads your data by API. We found no public API for your own use.
AI and automation
Company claimPhysics-informed AI (AI guided by how panels and inverters work) for fault finding, plus the GAIA assistant. We could not test it.
Mobile
BasicThe Autopilot page says a technician app lets staff act on faults and send feedback. We found no app store link or feature list.
Reporting
BasicAutomatic reports with KPIs, loss waterfall charts and the effect of repairs. GAIA can also build reports from a chat.
Not what SmartHelio is for, so not scored: Solar design, 3D modelling, Shade analysis, Proposals, CRM, Lead management, Permits and plan sets, Financing, Project management.
Feature scorecard
| Feature | What we found | Our notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar design | Not its job | SmartHelio analyses built plants. It does not design them. | Oct 2026 |
| 3D modelling | Not its job | No 3D design tools. | Oct 2026 |
| Shade analysis | Not its job | Shade studies for design are outside what it is for. | Oct 2026 |
| Power estimate | Basic | Climate Risk Assessment forecasts long-term solar output for investors and banks. The company says it is 98% accurate, which we could not check. | Oct 2026 |
| Proposals | Not its job | Not a sales tool. | Oct 2026 |
| CRM | Not its job | Not a sales tool. | Oct 2026 |
| Lead management | Not its job | Lead tools are outside what it is for. | Oct 2026 |
| Permits and plan sets | Not its job | Permits are outside what it is for. | Oct 2026 |
| Financing | Not its job | Finance tools are outside what it is for. | Oct 2026 |
| Project management | Not its job | Project tools are outside what it is for. | Oct 2026 |
| Battery design | Advanced | Monitors solar and batteries in one view, with alerts for temperature, charge level (SoC) and voltage. It tracks battery health (SoH), wear and warranty status. | Oct 2026 |
| Monitoring | Basic | Real-time view of your plants, with alerts by WhatsApp, email or Teams. It reads data from your SCADA and portals by API, so it adds to your monitoring rather than replacing it. | Oct 2026 |
| Operations and repair (O&M) | Advanced | Automatic fault tickets, plant grouping by distance and loss, and a cleaning schedule. Managers assign faults and track them to the end. | Oct 2026 |
| Integrations | Basic | GAIA connects by API to meteocontrol, SynaptiQ, Power Factors, Sungrow, SolarEdge, Huawei and more. | Oct 2026 |
| API | Not found | It reads your data by API. We found no public API for your own use. | Oct 2026 |
| AI and automation | Company claim | Physics-informed AI (AI guided by how panels and inverters work) for fault finding, plus the GAIA assistant. We could not test it. | Oct 2026 |
| Mobile | Basic | The Autopilot page says a technician app lets staff act on faults and send feedback. We found no app store link or feature list. | Oct 2026 |
| Reporting | Basic | Automatic reports with KPIs, loss waterfall charts and the effect of repairs. GAIA can also build reports from a chat. | Oct 2026 |
Who is SmartHelio best for?
| Type of business | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Home solar installers | Weak fit | Built for business and large solar portfolios, not homes. |
| Business (commercial) installers | Strong fit | Business and factory solar (C&I) has its own page and a case study. |
| Solar farm developers | Strong fit | Very large solar farms have their own page and a case study. |
| EPCs (design and build firms) | Weak fit | Nothing for building plants. |
| Solar designers and engineers | Weak fit | No design tools. |
| Solar sales teams | Weak fit | No sales tools. |
| O&M and asset teams | Strong fit | Fault ranking, tickets, cleaning plans and a technician app serve repair and upkeep teams. |
By company size
Solo installer
Weak fit
No self-serve signup or price.
Small team
Partial fit
Pay Per Fault is offered for pilots or small plants.
Growing company
Strong fit
SaaS and audits fit growing portfolios.
Large company
Strong fit
The SaaS plan is aimed at large power producers and portfolios.
Who shouldn’t choose SmartHelio?
- You need a monitoring platform or SCADA. SmartHelio sits on top of one.
- You install home solar.
- You want a price list.
- You need design or sales tools.
SmartHelio pricing
Starting price
Ask the company
Checked 6 October 2026
- Price model
- Quote only, several models
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Offered, terms not stated
- Demo
- Yes
SaaS
Ask the company
annual subscription
- Real-time monitoring for many sites
- Ongoing diagnostics, alerts and analytics
- Best for large IPPs
One-Time Diagnostics
Fixed fee based on plant size
one time
- Single audit report
- Loss numbers and root causes
- No long-term commitment
Pay Per Fault
Ask the company
per fault detected
- Pay only for faults found
- For pilots or small plants
- Can switch to SaaS
GAIA
Ask the company
monthly subscription
- AI assistant for solar and storage
- Priced by portfolio size, users and features
What changes the price
- The pricing page shows models but no amounts.
- All plans include the AI engine and need no hardware.
- One-Time Diagnostics is a fixed fee based on plant size.
- The GAIA FAQ says GAIA is a monthly subscription based on portfolio size, number of users and features.
- The Autopilot page has a 'Get Your Free Trial' button. Length and terms are not stated.
Ask SmartHelio for a price Prices change often. We never guess a price that is not on the website.
Ease of use
Learning curve
Low
Onboarding needs API access to your system and plant details. The company says you get results within one week. GAIA lets you ask questions in plain words instead of using dashboards.
Training offered: Product demo · Webinars and articles
We have not tested SmartHelio hands-on yet. This is based on what the maker offers and how the product is set up.
Integrations
Monitoring
- meteocontrol
- 3E SynaptiQ
- Power Factors
- BESS vendors (direct API, not named)Company claim
Hardware
- Sungrow
- SolarEdge
- Huawei
Project management
- CMMS tools (not named)Company claim
AI and automation
| Capability | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| AI design | Not its job | No design tools. |
| AI proposals | Not its job | No proposal tools. |
| AI sales assistant | Not its job | No sales tools. |
| AI lead qualification | Not its job | No lead tools. |
| Forecasting | Verified | GAIA lists site weather forecasts, and Autopilot predicts faults. CRA forecasts long-term solar output. |
| Automation | Verified | GAIA creates and sends maintenance tickets and tracks them until they are fixed. |
Our assessment
SmartHelio’s AI is its main product. It mixes physics models of panels and inverters with machine learning, and says it shows how each fault was classified. GAIA is a chat helper that works only on your plant data, with a person checking. Figures like 10% more output are company claims.
API and automation
- Public API
- Not found
- Webhooks
- Not found
- Docs
- Not found
What you can do with it
- Reads data from SCADA, CMS and inverter portals by API
- Accepts CSV uploads for audits
Useful for
- Adding analytics to your current monitoring
Security and large-company readiness
Only what the company publishes. “Could not read” means we could not open the page, not that the feature is missing.
Encryption
Not foundWe found no encryption statement.
Single sign-on (SSO)
Not foundWe found no mention of SSO.
SOC 2
Not foundNot mentioned.
GDPR
VerifiedThe privacy policy has a section for EU and UK users that explains its GDPR legal bases.
User permissions
Company claimThe company says actions and permissions stay under your control in GAIA. We found no list of roles.
Audit logs
Company claimGAIA is said to give traceable, auditable insights.
Data hosting
Company claimThe company says GAIA runs in a 'secure, closed cloud' with no link to the open internet. Location is not stated.
Backups
Not foundWe found no backup details.
Setup and support
Getting started
You book a demo, share API access and plant details, and the company onboards you. It says results come within one week.
- Onboarding
- Digital twin setup from your data
Customer support
You can reach the team by email or the contact form. Support hours and plans are not described.
- Contact form
- Demo booking
Pros and cons
What we like
- No new hardwareWorks by API with your current monitoring.
- Flexible buyingSaaS, a one-time audit, pay per fault, or a monthly GAIA plan.
- Explains its AIPhysics-based models show how each fault was classified.
- Named integrationsmeteocontrol, SynaptiQ, Power Factors, Sungrow, SolarEdge and Huawei.
- Covers batteries tooOne view for solar and batteries, with battery health and warranty tracking.
What could be better
- No amounts on the pricing pageEvery model needs a quote.
- Thin security detailsWe found no SOC 2, ISO or hosting location.
- Needs another monitoring toolIt reads data from other systems.
- Many claimsGains like 10% more output and 30% lower costs are not proven on the site.
SmartHelio alternatives
Tools people switch to, and when each one makes more sense.
3E SynaptiQ
Pick it for full independent monitoring with performance analytics.
Power Factors Unity
Evidence score 8.1/10
Pick it for one suite with SCADA, asset tools and the REMI AI helper.
Read the reviewDNV GPM Horizon
Evidence score 6.8/10
Pick it for monitoring plus loss analysis, budgets and revenue.
Read the review
meteocontrol VCOM
Evidence score 8.3/10
Pick it if you need the monitoring layer itself.
Read the reviewMain competitors
- Power Factors Unity: REMI also sells AI diagnosis to asset managers.
- 3E SynaptiQ: Sells performance analytics to the same buyers.
- DNV GPM Horizon: Gemini analytics compete on finding underperformance.
How we score solar software
We have not given any product a quality score yet. That needs at least eight checked user reviews. Instead, the evidence score shows how much we could confirm on the company’s own website.
Points for each feature
| Verified, advanced | 10 |
|---|---|
| Verified, basic | 8 |
| Company claim only | 6 to 7 |
| Not found or not offered | 0 |
| Could not read, or not its job | left out |
Jobs we score, equal weight
- Solar design
- Shade and power estimate
- Proposals and finance
- CRM and leads
- Permits and projects
- Batteries
- Monitoring and O&M
- Integrations and API
- AI and automation
- Mobile and reporting
- Clear pricing
Each job is the average of its features. A job where we found none of its features is not this tool’s job, so it is left out. The overall score is the average of the jobs that apply, plus clear pricing. Read how we check facts · How we research · Editorial guidelines
Sources and checks
- Company siteHome page
- Company sitePricing
- Company siteAutopilot
- Company siteGAIA
- Company siteAI-driven Audit
- Company siteTechnology
- Company siteAbout
- Company siteBESS analytics
- Company siteClimate Risk Assessment
- Company siteCommercial & Industrial
- Company siteUtility-Scale
- Company sitePrivacy policy
See a mistake? Tell us and we will check it again. Fixes go in our corrections log.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SmartHelio cost?
The pricing page lists three models but no amounts. The one-time audit is a fixed fee based on plant size. GAIA is a monthly subscription, and you must ask for a quote.
Does SmartHelio have a free trial?
The Autopilot page has a free trial button, but the terms are not stated. Pay Per Fault is offered for pilot runs and small plants.
Is SmartHelio good for small installers?
Not really. It is built for business and large solar portfolios. Pay Per Fault is offered for small plants.
Do I need new hardware?
No. SmartHelio reads data from your current systems by API. It works with all major inverter brands, the company says.
Does SmartHelio handle batteries?
Yes. Its BESS tools watch solar and batteries in one view. They track battery charge, health and warranty, with custom alerts.
Does SmartHelio have an API?
It pulls data from your systems by API. We found no public API for you to build on.
What is GAIA?
GAIA is SmartHelio’s AI assistant. It finds issues, creates tickets and builds reports from a chat. It is sold as a monthly subscription.
What are the best SmartHelio alternatives?
3E SynaptiQ, Power Factors Unity and DNV GPM Horizon offer analytics with their own monitoring. meteocontrol VCOM gives you the monitoring layer itself.
Our final verdict
SmartHelio: 7.3/10 evidence score
SmartHelio suits owners of business and large solar plants who already have monitoring. It adds AI fault finding on top, with no new hardware.
Choose SmartHelio if
- You already have monitoring
- You want faults ranked by loss
- You want a one-time audit for a deal
- You want to pilot by paying per fault
- You run batteries next to solar
Look at alternatives if
- You need a full monitoring platform
- You need clear security proof
- You want a price list