LOUISVILLE, Colo., June 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clean Energy Collective (CEC), the company that pioneered roofless community-shared solar, today announced the launch of its Community Solar Platform (CSP), a comprehensive suite of software tools and services for utilities, solar developers, and other enterprises to successfully deploy and manage community solar programs. At the core of this game-changing solution is CEC's proprietary SaaS platform, RemoteMeter®, featuring the essential software and contractual components necessary for program and facility management, customer engagement, on-bill crediting and system monitoring, to help utilities effectively launch and monetize shared solar programs.
Not unlike SolarCity's systemization of the rooftop industry, Clean Energy Collective's CSP for utilities will tip the industry and position roofless community solar for explosive growth. First to deploy a comprehensive software as a service (SaaS) program to the fast-paced solar marketplace, CEC started building its Community Solar Platform 6 years ago as an enabling technology solution with the sole goal of providing utilities a complete platform to monetize, onboard and support customers interested in renewable energy generation. Community Solar Platform empowers utilities and their solar development partners with established, market-tested tools to navigate the complexities of on-bill crediting, securities and tax laws, tax credits and incentives, consumer protections, operations and maintenance, and sales and marketing. CSP is the industry's only proven community solar platform, having already been used by CEC with more than 20 utilities under varying environments (IOU, co-op, muni, legislative and regulatory), spread coast-to-coast across 10 states and thousands of customers.
"As one of the world's leading developers of community solar, we know well that to achieve a successful roofless community solar program all criteria must be met, including utility controls, proven and reliable execution, low cost, low risk, and high customer satisfaction," said CEC founder and CEO Paul Spencer. "For many years utilities and developers have been asking us to share our internal RemoteMeter™ platform for end-to-end community solar program deployment; launching the CSP allows us to fulfill these requests. We are excited to get these tools in the hands of utilities to ensure community shared solar meets its full potential."
At the heart of the Community Solar Platform is RemoteMeter™, the prevailing software solution currently underlying more than 60% of the nation's successful shared solar programs. This turn-key SaaS platform drives production tracking and integration, on-bill crediting, customer contracts, and overall program management. It provides a foundation for customer acquisition and management, including custom website hosting, proposal and contract generation, and e-commerce functions. RemoteMeter™ also provides facility monitoring and O &M assurance to maximize system performance and production.
A recent report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reaffirmed roofless community-shared solar's potential to serve as the dominant solar energy model throughout the country. The number of shared solar programs has grown from two in 2010 to more than 50 today, spanning 19 states and dozens of cooperative, municipal, and investor-owned utilities, with a collective capacity exceeding 170 MW. By 2020, roofless solar could account for up to 50% of the U.S. distributed PV market, representing $8.2–$16.3 billion of cumulative investment, according to NREL.
Initiating these projects, however, can be a very complicated and capital-intensive process. The current market space exists as a fragmented field of players and, until now, with limited resources to guide project development, a condition that is inefficient, prone to errors, and inhibiting to growth. CEC's Community Solar Platform delivers core processes for systematic, standardized project deployment.
CEC is the leading community solar developer, responsible for 60% of all operating community solar projects, representing 50+ facilities with 21 utility partners, thousands of customers, and broad legislative and regulatory experience. CEC is now leveraging its unparalleled expertise with utilities, residential and commercial ratepayers, and investors to evolve into a premier SaaS solutions provider.
For more information about Community Solar Platform, visit CommunitySolarPlatform.com .
About Clean Energy Collective
A solar tech start-up in 2009, Clean Energy Collective (CEC) has grown to become the world's leading developer of Roofless Community Solar solutions. CEC pioneered the model of delivering clean power-generation through medium-scale solar PV facilities accessible to all utility customers. Since establishing the first community-owned solar array in the country in 2010 near El Jebel, Colorado, CEC has built or has under development more than 90 Roofless Community Solar projects with 20 utility partners across 10 states, representing 100 MW of community solar capacity. www.easycleanenergy.com
Tim Braun
