SunPower has launched a remote operations control center (ROCC) for monitoring and controlling large-scale solar power plants the company operates in the United States, including those that are sold to 8point3 Energy Partners LP, the YieldCo joint venture formed by SunPower and First Solar. It is also being used to monitor operations at solar power plants SunPower has constructed in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia.
SunPower’s Remote Operations Control Center (ROCC) is designed to optimize energy production at the company’s solar photovoltaic power plants, allowing utilities and power plant owners to better manage their energy. Located in Austin, Tex., the ROCC monitors and controls solar power plants SunPower operates in the U.S., and monitors power plants on five continents outside North America. It is scalable to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of SunPower’s global power plant fleet. (PRNewsFoto/SunPower Corp.)
“SunPower’s remote operations control center is designed to optimize energy production at our solar power plants, allowing utilities and power plant owners to better manage their energy,” said Tom Werner, SunPower CEO and president. “Increasingly, utilities are adding solar to their energy mix to provide their customers with reliable, cost-effective and emission-free energy.”
The ROCC employs eight staff members who provide monitoring and controls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is fully compliant with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) including critical infrastructure protection (CIP) reliability standards. SunPower anticipates the facility will be remotely controlling approximately 1.3 gigawatts of solar power plants by 2016.
“As an energy services provider, our ROCC enables SunPower to be a good manager of the utility grid, and enhance safety at our power plant sites,” Werner added. “It is scalable to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of our global power plant fleet.”
The ROCC is located in SunPower’s Austin, Tex. office, which opened in 2011 and employs more than 250 people.
Very nice and definitely the way to go to assume best possible Production Rate and facilitate Condition Based Predictive Maintenance. Only question for an Owner/Operator is whether to lock in with a developer’s system or choose someone independent who can remotely monitor all assets.