Clean Power Research Takes on PV Fleet Management Challenges with Ground-Breaking Data Sources and Analysis Capabilities

Utilities and ISOs can now plan and operate PV fleets reliably and cost-effectively, enabling higher PV penetration and reducing costs

DENVER, May 15, 2012-- World Renewable Energy Forum

Booth 1018 - Clean Power ResearchR ( www.cleanpower.com ) today introduced
industry-leading SolarAnywhereR High Resolution irradiance data and newly
patented fleet analysis methodologies that together provide unprecedented
insight into the impact of distributed PV on grid operation. SolarAnywhere
FleetView(TM) addresses the need for fleet management by enabling utilities
and ISOs to cost-effectively and reliably integrate distributed PV into the
grid, allowing for higher PV penetration and reducing costs for utilities,
ratepayers and PV system owners.

"After successfully deploying more distributed PV than any other state, this
tool will fill a vital role in California by ensuring reliable and
cost-effective integration of the renewable energy generated by those
systems," said Michael R. Peevey, president of the California Public
Utilities Commission.

PV systems--from residential to utility-scale--experience rapid changes in
power output due to cloud cover. As more PV systems are installed in a given
area, this variability poses a challenge for utilities and ISOs who are
responsible for grid stability. SolarAnywhere FleetView addresses these
challenges by offering a scalable approach to estimating and analyzing the
impact of any defined fleet of PV systems, whether located on a distribution
feeder or spread across a load balancing area.

"Understanding how distributed PV impacts grid operations has been a clear
focus for the utilities we've worked with in researching this technology,"
said Tom Hoff, president of Research and Consulting at Clean Power Research.
"But the expense and difficulty of obtaining the information needed to do
integration studies has traditionally been very high. We've developed a
scalable and affordable solution that employs satellite-derived irradiance
data rather than data gathered from ground sensors. This data, combined with
our patented fleet variability analytics, makes it possible to conduct a
wide range of planning studies and forecast power output without large
infrastructure investments. Reducing costs and enabling more PV integration
benefits everyone by preserving the value that comes from renewable energy
generation."

Research Reinforces Benefits of Fleet Management CapabilitiesStudies have
shown that spreading PV systems out over a large service area mitigates the
problem of short-term variability, making it easier for grid operators to
manage. Recent research using SolarAnywhere fleet variability methodologies
found that geographic dispersion also has a similar positive effect on the
accuracy of variability predictions. These results give utilities and ISOs
confidence in the ability of new services such as SolarAnywhere FleetView to
provide the data needed to cost-effectively maintain grid stability even as
PV penetration increases.

To read more about this study, the paper "Predicting Short-Term Variability
of High-Penetration PV" is available for download at:
www.cleanpower.com/resources/high-penetration-pv-variability-prediction .

SolarAnywhere FleetViewKey to SolarAnywhere FleetView is the ability to
collect irradiance data at the short time intervals required to calculate
ramp rates for planning and short-term forecasting. SolarAnywhere High
Resolution data is the first satellite-derived irradiance data available in
the U.S. with a resolution of 1 km x 1 km at 1 minute-intervals.

Also key to these services is the ability to calculate variability of a
defined fleet of PV systems. In April, Clean Power Research was granted
three patents on the PV fleet variability methodologies used in
SolarAnywhere FleetView.

Learn more in the whitepaper "Behind-the-Meter Intelligence for Distributed
PV Grid Integration," available for download at:
www.cleanpower.com/resources/behind-the-meter-intelligence .

SolarAnywhere Irradiance DataSolarAnywhere is the leading source of
downloadable satellite-derived solar irradiance data for the continental
U.S. and Hawaii. The lab of Dr. Richard Perez at the University at Albany
(SUNY) provides models and research innovations for SolarAnywhere, which are
an evolution of Perez's work as encompassed in the "SUNY gridded data" of
the National Solar Resource Database (NSRDB).

SolarAnywhere forecast, real-time and historical data is now available in
three resolutions to meet a variety of planning and operational needs.
Interested users can get started by accessing data free of charge at
www.solaranywhere.com .

World Renewable Energy Forum 2012Clean Power Research is exhibiting in booth
#1018 at the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver, Colo., May 13-17, and
is participating in eight presentations. A full speaking schedule is
available at: www.cleanpower.com/events/world-renewable-energy-forum/ .

About Clean Power Research
Clean Power Research provides software, research and consulting services to
power intelligent energy decisions. Solar prediction, economic valuation and
program optimization products make it simple for customers to get fast,
accurate, location-specific information about the energy, economic and
environmental impact of their renewable energy projects. Utilities,
government, state energy offices, engineers, developers, manufacturers,
installers and financiers rely on Clean Power Research for project siting,
planning and operations, incentive program management, and renewable energy
sales tools. Founded in 1998, the company has offices in Napa, Calif., and
Kirkland, Wash. For more information, visit www.cleanpower.com .

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