The Software Imperative. We will get into this more in the future but important note to you today as it’s covered in the top article. As solar gets more involved in grid services, virtual power plants, and energy trading, it also gets closer to grid operations. For grid operations, many of the fleet management functions are digital/software focused but they also need to meet regulatory compliance and ensure cybersecurity is central to the function. Solar plus storage plants also have the generation functionality which makes the communication between hardware and software a central function that is hard to find when the experience is not deep given the newness of the market.
Perpetual Interconnect. When the power plant has a perpetual interconnect and opportunity to extend site leases, what happens to the power plant over time? Can you adjust the modules? Will the utility allow for new inverters or even upsizing? What about adding DC or AC-coupled energy storage? All of those revenue opportunities could prove to be a secondary market for existing projects.
Regan To EPA. Congratulations to the new EPA administrator, Michael Regan.
A Product Showcase. In two weeks, join CALSSA and the dozens of manufacturers in a product showcase. This is a free event if you register in advance, you can do that here. Absent in-person events and a desire to stay in front of a computer all day, CALSSA brings you the best way to learn about the latest and greatest.
- Utility Dive: What’s in your software? Federal initiative targets frequently overlooked electric utility vulnerabilities
- Solar Builder: The case for large-scale solar plant repowering-as-a-service
- Axios: Senate confirms Michael Regan as EPA administrator
- Greentech Media: California’s Latest Demand-Side Emergency Plan Draws Criticism From Providers
- PV-Tech: Array Technologies increased revenue 35% to US$872.7 million in 2020
- Bloomberg: India to Tax Solar Equipment Imports to Help Local Companies
- Reuters: Factbox – How Fukushima helped to transform Germany’s power sector
Opinion
Best, Yann