Solar Optimization in 2020

Where are you and solar heading next year?

After five days of networking and education in Salt Lake City at the solar conference, a recurring theme emerged.

This was across all segments of the solar industry and touched others as well. We saw it in panels, inverters, storage, racking, software and AI.

Panels are becoming more optimized with Longi bifacials and 144 cells. This means maximizing the surface area and getting the bounce effect when light hits the panels from the back.

Chilicon inverters are allowing you to have one SKU by using one, 720-watt inverter that will accept any 60,72,96 cell module and any voltage up to 208V, that is made in California. By having the ability to pair two solar panels and be able to work with any generator or energy storage product means maximum flexibility.

The storage space is expanding rapidly and the entrants making smaller batteries that can be light enough for a 6^th grader to lift without the need for 3 people to carry. This means storage and the ability to swap out components will be as about as easy as lifting a case of water.

Software was a recurring theme in every product. Being able to manage the power using a smart receptacle and smart circuit breaker will usher in a new era of energy management reserved in the past for a DARPA project.

When you can manage down to the load, this means we can better design solar systems and their accompanying battery storage siblings.

Open API’s will continue and we need to leverage everyone’s aggregated talents in their specific genre’s to make everything work more seamlessly.

And incorporating AI, with predictive analytics will allow utilities, consumers and you to anticipate human behaviors and respond accordingly. Blockchain is coming as a vehicle for VPP (virtual power plants) and VPPA’s (virtual power purchase agreements) combined with VSAAS (virtual storage as a service).

The layers of services you will be able to offer clients in the future (which is today) are unprecedented. Partnerships will be formed enabling you to expand your business across a host of industries, some that are in their infancy that want to work with you.

If you want help formulating a plan to accelerate your future, come join Chris Lord and I in our Solar Executive MBA Training course. You’ll meet like-minded people and learn from others that might just spark your curiosity and catapult your dreams into reality in 2020.

See you in the course.