Monitoring

In October, California regulators proposed allowing DC-coupled solar plus storage systems to be compensated via net metering for electricity stored in their batteries. This came after NEXTracker’s NX Flow system was verified by UL as charging only from solar power.

SolarEdge has recently purchased an Italian EV system manufacturer, a South Korean battery maker, an Israeli UPS producer, internally developed a virtual power plant grid service, and now they’re working with Google to integrate energy management tools into Google Assistant.

NREL has proposed a new methodology for determining solar module degradation rates, taking into account measurement challenges such as sensor drift, inverter nuances, soiling and others – keeping the focus on the solar modules themselves.

The DOE has launched a program to find unique and innovative solutions that increase grid operators’ situational awareness of solar PV systems deployed throughout the grid at strategic locations – and that are seek to go beyond pure R&D, seeking field validation.

AlsoEnergy has acquired/merged with its third energy monitoring and asset management company this summer. This most recent move brings 25 GW and 190,000 projects under AlsoEnergy’s responsibility.

Burns & McDonnell, a 6,000-strong engineering firm, is installing a Greenlots EV charging network and integrating it into the company’s campus network. The engineers hope to offer EV related services to their many electric utility customers.

The HIT S-Series smart module is being launched via a collaboration between Panasonic and SolarEdge. The pair is aiming to boost the installation speed and total electricity output of solar modules. The initial unit noted is a 330W solar module.

In this op-ed for pv magazine, Mike Winn, CEO and co-founder of DroneDeploy explains the value of drone deployment in solar project development and maintenance.

OhmConnect has joined Googles “Work with Nest” program to increase automation in its home energy management program. Users in OhmConnect’s select marketplaces actually earn a share of the demand response services.

The inverter-optimizer manufacturer has expanded from its residential focus and now gets 40% of its revenue from commercial sales. The company is also supplying a soon-to-be commissioned 53 MW-AC solar power project.