Dive Brief:
- SolarEdge Technologies is rolling out a cloud-based energy optimization platform that will provide advanced photovoltaic monitoring and fleet management tools for commercial and industrial solar applications, the company said in a June 17 press release.
- SolarEdge ONE for C&I utilizes real-time data analytics to automatically and continuously manage participating sites’ energy production, storage and consumption while aiming to minimize system downtime and reduce site visits, the company says. The platform aims to help operations and maintenance teams, as well as engineering, procurement and construction professionals, through capabilities like remote troubleshooting, device operation and configuration, SolarEdge said in the release.
- “SolarEdge ONE for C&I is a culmination of our recent strategic acquisitions of software companies Wevo for EV charging management and Hark for buildings energy asset optimization, as well as our expertise and know-how in developing a dedicated C&I energy optimization solution,” Zvi Lando, CEO of SolarEdge Technologies, said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
SolarEdge ONE for C&I is available for users of SolarEdge’s commercial energy generation and management products, Information Systems Project Manager Omri Zeman said. These products include commercial solar inverters, power optimizers, energy storage systems, energy meters, environmental sensors and energy management software, according to the company’s website.
The platform “provides building operators with a single [interface] for all energy assets so they are able to manage their entire energy ecosystem through a single platform, saving them from complicated third-party integrations,” Zeman said.
In addition to managing solar photovoltaic and energy storage equipment, the platform can manage EV chargers and building assets such as lighting and HVAC systems, the company said in the release. The offering integrates with Internet of Things devices and third-party products through the SolarEdge ONE Controller for C&I, according to SolarEdge’s website.
The platform is meant to be a “single source of truth” for SolarEdge customers’ stakeholders, including energy managers, facility managers, renewables teams and finance, the company says.
The platform is ideal for businesses “that have multiple solar sites or are looking to complement their solar generation with EV charging and enhance their building’s asset efficiency,” Zeman said. Ongoing shifts in the regulatory landscape of distributed energy markets, which impact capital investments with multi-decade time horizons, strengthen the case for comprehensive energy management solutions, he added.
To more effectively manage participating sites’ energy production, storage and consumption, the platform implements dynamic algorithms that factor in external parameters — such as weather conditions and historical, current and predicted electricity price tariffs — along with site-specific parameters such as the site’s energy profile and needs, historical solar production and consumption patterns, according to the company website.
For example, it can automatically control and optimize EV charging based on available solar energy, electricity spot prices and charging schedules, and it can use real-time data from on-site power consumption assets like lighting and thermostats to identify anomalies and improve efficiency, Zeman said.
The platform also helps minimize downtime in solar PV systems and reduces the need for site visits with a “live alerts” feature that enables easy identification of underperforming system components, Zeman noted.
It has begun rolling out globally for SolarEdge customers who elected to sign up as early adopters and will expand later this year, eventually replacing the current SolarEdge Monitoring platform, Zeman said.
Correction: A previous version of this article was published under the wrong byline. The author is Brian Martucci.
