What Happens to Solar Power Plants After They’re Installed?

Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

Tech News, Environment, Sustainability, Innovation, Renewable Energy, Technology, Alternative Energy, Energy, News, Cleantech, Wind Energy, Business, Climate Change, Solar Energy

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2014

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

By 2017, there will be more than 150 gigawatts of solar plants that need to be maintained globally. In order for solar to keep growing as an asset class, those plants need to be in top shape. Who’s going to take care of them all? As operations and maintenance becomes a more important piece of the solar market, big project developers, independent contractors, software firms and inverter manufacturers are all trying to get in on the action. In this week’s podcast, we’ll talk with Chuck Smith, executive vice president of services at SMA America, about the company’s approach to monitoring, analyzing and optimizing solar plants. (Disclosure: SMA is a sponsor of the podcast.) Later in the show, we’ll talk about a new proposal in San Antonio to phase out net metering and create a program based on competitive bidding. We’ll also discuss the legacy of Michael Peevey, the embattled outgoing president of the California Public Utilities Commission. Don’t forget to fill out our listener survey so we can get your feedback:svy.mk/1rCT4HH The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This Podcast is brought to you by SMA, provider of the world's leading inverter technology
0:07.0	and backed by the world's leading service team.
0:10.0	With more than 850 service experts, 90 service hubs, 30 plus gigawatts installed globally
0:16.9	and thousands of commercial and utility scale projects completed worldwide,
0:21.2	SMA is the partner of choice for your PV projects.
0:25.2	For more, visit W. W. SMA-America.com. dot com.
0:55.8	For the week of October 16, 2014, this is the Energy Gang from Green Tech Media. In the District of Columbia, I'm Stephen Lacy, your master of ceremonies and a senior editor with Green Tech Media. This week we're talking about the growing and somewhat unknown world of solar operations
1:01.0	and maintenance.
1:02.0	What happens to all those power plants
1:04.6	after they get installed?
1:06.0	We'll tell you.
1:07.4	Then later in the show, we'll discuss a new plan
1:09.6	to replace net metering in San Antonio,
1:12.2	and we'll talk about the legacy of Michael Peeve, the outgoing
1:15.3	and embattled President of California's Public Utility Commission.
1:20.1	But first let me introduce my two co-hosts who as usual are with me to educate you, to pontificate, to elucidate all of the above.
1:29.7	With me in the district is Catherine Hamilton, a partner at 38 North Solutions and a policy
1:34.8	expert who's seemingly been on the board of every national clean energy organization
1:39.2	created in the last 20 years.
1:41.2	Catherine, how's it going over there?
1:43.0	Just great. I wish I could say we were also going to celebrate with something relating to
1:47.2	baseball, but I'm afraid I'm still nursing my wounds and I'm sorry for those
	...

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