Trends from Australia’s #1 Solar Power Conference

Those following on SunWiz on Twitter (@WarwickSunWiz) were kept up-to-date on all the announcements, best services, and innovative products at ATRAA and Clean Energy Week 2011. Here’s the wrap…

Innovative was the name of the game this year. The Australian solar conference has officially evolved from a place where panel and inverter manufacturers simply displayed their wares, into a conference that rewards strategic differentiation. Here’s the trends that could be seen:

Innovative Products

Australia’s Influence upon the solar world was evidenced by the release of the SMA SunnyBoy 1600TL inverter, launched first in Australia, and sized to meet the Australian Market. Solco expanded their fleet of power optimisers to include Tigo, which works with any inverter (unlike the Solar Edge). Ethernet-enabled inverters were mentioned by CMS, though nothing beats EnaSolar’s inbuilt wifi.

Also seen were many rack-in-a-box systems, which followed Laros Technology’s demo of Montavent’s technology last year. Lock Solar had a roaming demo of their rack-in-a-box, though not to be outdone was Trina, who demonstrated the benefits of their Zep Solar License. Solon displayed their tiled roof-integrated PV and their metal roof adhesive solar laminate.

Also notable were a couple of energy monitoring and control devices. ecoiQ by Ecovation provides kiosk and user interface to monitor a solar, mains, and third circuit – plus portfolio view for solar installers. Meanwhile demandIQ (also by Ecovation) offers users (and networks) the ability to remotely control deferrable load – perfect for improving network management and for increasing PV penetration. Auzion‘s power management product will also be interesting upon its official release.

Innovative Services

Competition is certainly hotting up in the wholesale sector, with incumbents RFI, SolarInverters, Conergy, SolarJuice, Solco, etc having their space encroached on by upstarts. SolarFund has released an iPhone app that allows scanning of barcodes, GPS-logged photos, and compatibility with their STC-creation portal. We look forward to their STC ‘Price Protect’ offering. Greenbank also has an android-enabled mobile portal interface which will hopefully improve STC compliance and waiting times. Australian Solar Buying Group showed off its (under development) CRM that will support its installers, while Solar360 looks to provide market intelligence and business support to its dealer network.

Meanwhile SunWiz launched its Market Intelligence suite, comprising ClearView (STC Market Intel), STC Entities Direct, PV Market Insights, Solar Hot Spots, Business Profitability Analytics, and the PV Sales Tool which was shown off during Warwick’s presentation on the new economics of Australian PV. This suite can assist PV companies to obtain a better STC price, track PV trends across Australia and locally, target resources, and increase conversion: ideal strategic resources for the period of ongoing STC devaluation.

Innovative Stands

BP’s stand was multi-dimensional, Conergy demonstrated exercise bikes, and Trina’s sponsorship of F1 racing was unmissable due to RFI/Trina’s F1 slot car racetrack, complete with grid-girls. Meanwhile veterans of the solar industry, SunWiz and SolarBusinessServices distinctive sunlounge hosted furniture, solar apparatus, and magazine clippings dating back to the invention of photovoltaics.

Presentations from ATRAA are now available on the CEC website. The presentation made by Stowe Australia and SunWiz on the design and implementation of the Metricon Stadium Solar Halo (Gold Coast) was well attended, and was recognised as Australia’s best grid-connect solar power system > 10kW.

For photos of many of these and more, follow @WarwickSunWiz

Interval Meter Data Tool Disclaimer

The Interval Meter Data Tool is designed to convert standard form meter data for the OpenSolar platform.

Users are responsible for meeting the requirements of the data that needs to be uploaded to the tool, which extends to but is not limited to

The completeness and accuracy of the data
Ensuring that there are no missing records
Uploading the data in one of the compatible intervals (15m, 30m or 1h).

Data uploaded to the Interval Meter Data Tool should not contain multiple datasets. In the case an excel file is uploaded, only the first sheet will be considered.

The accuracy of the output is dependent on the user’s dataset, therefore SunWiz does not guarantee the accuracy of the output.

The user must acknowledge that the output of the tool is beyond the control of SunWiz, and they must ensure that the data is accurate on their own behalf.

In the event that the program runs into an issue, the user will be issued with warnings or solutions to address or resolve the issue.

If the user requires additional support, they can avail it as a separate service from SunWiz

Warranties on performance

The Interval Meter Data tool from SunWiz attempts to convert most frequently occurring types of standard meter data file types in specific formats for the purpose of being used on the OpenSolar platform. Unless mentioned otherwise, SunWiz does not extend any guarantee of any kind, either expressed or implied, on the limited success of the Interval Meter Data Tool and the extent of it’s automation. Depending on the user’s upload, the program may require additional inputs, the training for which is not included in the purchase of this service and can be purchased separately.

Input requirements

The Interval Meter Data Tool accepts data in the 15-minute, 30-minute and 60-minute(hourly) intervals. In case the file is uploaded in an excel format (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm), only the first sheet of the file will be considered. Our tool is required to accept raw meter data, usually highlighted as ‘E’ data in its standard format; and therefore SunWiz does not guarantee that all data formats will be accepted.

For complete automation, the file must adhere to an acceptable standard format. In the case of an issue, the user will be provided with instructions by the tool on how it can be resolved. Warnings will be issued if the data is incompatible, incomplete with missing records and if multiple datasets are uploaded at once.

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ATRAA Trends: The best of Clean Energy Week