Robb Wilson of sPower has seen the field evolve along with technology, and shared some of the institutional knowledge he has gained over the years. sPower owns a total of 1,340 MW solar photovoltaic projects, 1,240 MW of which the in-house operations and maintenance (O&M) team “sPower Services” manages. So Robb’s presentation covered components of operations and maintenance budgets as well as how soft costs are determined.
What this means:
Wilson explained that growing industrial knowledge has contributed to more efficiencies, and thus, lower costs. Additionally, the separation of operations and maintenance teams from design and development teams reduced operations contracts significantly. All of this information is important because it helps us to better understand not only the cost involved in maintaining solar installations over time but potential risks due to fire, wind, etc. As our industry grows by leaps and bounds, we will continue to dig deep on the reality of operating and running solar power systems, so that we can better understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
More solar news:
MISO is seeking input as it transitions solar power to being more highly integrated into its energy forecast modeling. This is happening as the volume of solar is booming, and follows on the grid operator’s success with wind power. Read the full article >
Only a couple of weeks until Solar Power International when we get to see the hardware in person – but for now, you get us! Kern Solar Structures galvanizes their steel well, a delta between 275 and 310 watt modules, and Solis is launching a utility scale inverter in the USA. Read the full article >
Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that as net metering expands, financially challenged electric customers will begin to pay a higher share of the electric companies guaranteed revenue streams – and while this would be true in a static world – the broader picture of the value of individual energy empowerment makes this an acceptable systemic risk. Read the full article >
Los Angeles’ municipal utility has voted 5-0 to approve a 25-year contract with a 400 MWac solar plus 300 MW / 1.2 GWh energy storage facility, with the aggregate price of the electricity from the project at 3.962¢/kWh. Read the full article >
The European rooftop solar racking manufacturer launched in the United States last year and has now bought three US residential racking companies that represent 60% of the market, with greater than $250 million in combined revenue. Read the full article >
