Introducing Imagery Marketplace: Better Imagery When the Job Calls for It

Not every job needs paid imagery. Some jobs, like battery-only installs, don’t need imagery at all.

For simple solar jobs, the free view is often clear enough to design from. But when the imagery is blurry, outdated, offset, or hard to trust, the job takes longer. You check the layout more. The proposal is harder to present cleanly.

That’s where Imagery Marketplace fits. It gives you access to premium imagery inside OpenSolar, so you can unlock higher resolution, better coverage, or 3D data in the design flow without carrying a fixed subscription across every job.

Availability depends on your location. Nearmap is available in both Australia and New Zealand, with MetroMap also available in Australia.

Where premium imagery helps day to day

Every project has different imagery needs. The right option depends on the site, the level of detail you need, and how confident you need to be before you design. Here are a few places Imagery Marketplace can help day to day.

Standard projects 

When free imagery is close but not quite good enough, MetroMap gives you a cost-effective, high-resolution 2D option for standard projects. It’s a practical step up when you need more detail without moving straight to the highest-accuracy option.

Jobs that need higher accuracy 

When the job needs more than standard 2D imagery, Nearmap offers the highest resolution and coverage, along with 3D options for automatic shade analysis. That can help when precision, shade detail, or proposal quality matters more.

Jobs where presentation matters too 

Better imagery doesn’t just help you place panels; it helps you design more accurately and put a cleaner proposal in front of the customer. That matters when the customer is looking closely at the roof, the layout, and the numbers.

Pay only when you need it

Start with the lowest-cost option that gives you enough confidence to design from. 

That usually means:

Free imagery for simple work where the view is clear enough.

MetroMap in Australia for standard projects that need a cost-effective, high-resolution 2D option.

Nearmap for jobs that need higher accuracy, stronger coverage, or 3D options for automatic shade analysis.

That’s the practical value of Imagery Marketplace. You can match the imagery to the job, instead of using the same option every time.

Why this is a better fit than a subscription

Some jobs are simple, while others need a step up. We heard from pros that the old premium imagery model came with high fixed costs, monthly data limits, and spending that did not always match actual usage.

So we built the Imagery Marketplace to match how you told us you want to work. Buy imagery as needed inside OpenSolar, spend on the jobs that justify it, and stay in control of when you use paid imagery.

What has improved in the workflow

This is not just a pricing model change. 

The buying flow is clearer too. Before you buy, you can review the site location, coverage area, price, Wallet balance, and terms. Premium imagery loads after purchase.

That matters because you want to know the right site is selected before you spend. The flow helps you confirm the purchase area, not preview the premium imagery itself.

How to decide when to upgrade

A few quick checks help keep spending tight:

• Is free imagery good enough for this site?
• Do you just need a cost-efficient 2D option, or do you need 3D and higher accuracy?
• Is this a standard project, or a more complex site where rework will cost more?
• Will a sharper roof view help the proposal land more cleanly with the customer?

That choice-led approach is where Imagery Marketplace is strongest. It gives you clearer options by project, without forcing every job through the same cost path.

Ready to get started?

See the Help Center article for Wallet setup, turning on the available imagery providers in your market, and buying imagery in the design flow.