Solar energy business is a boom area in recent times, and this explosive growth has accelerated thanks to the flurry of incentives, rebates and grants offered to both consumers and researchers in the field. If you have been thinking about starting a solar energy business, you probably were confused by the plethora of options available, or put off by the fierce competition in many of them.
But it doesn’t have to worry you, because opportunities are cropping up in the solar energy business space literally every day. Let’s take a look at some innovative ways green energy business is tapping into this frantic demand for solar energy and renewable power for homes and offices.
Solar Thermal Technology
A solar energy business that’s importing technology from Israel to generate power in Souther California is BrightSource Energy, an Oakland, CA firm. By using mirrors in arrays that are structured in a way that concentrates the sun’s rays, the start up solar energy business generates electricity which will be distributed through Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric companies. The technology is sound and investors are so confident in the future potential that they have contracted for 14 such solar thermal energy plants to be build in the next 6 years.
Solar Inverters
Solar energy business has been hampered by one limitation of solar panels. Home solar panels generate direct current which cannot directly be used for household purposes. It needs to first be converted into alternating current (AC), which requires an expensive inverter.
But a smart solar energy business called Enphase Energy has shrunk the size (and the price) of inverters to the extent that they can fit within the solar panel itself! Not only does the cost of solar panel installations drop, this solar energy business has helped boost overall power output and can allow quicker identification of any problem panels.
Automating Energy Exchange Data
While home solar panels are popular today, the biggest early adopters of solar energy were commercial enterprises and businesses. They were the earliest to buy and install solar energy panels and other clean energy sources. The downside for these relatively bigger installations is the lack of granular and reliable data about performance of the devices.
A smart solar energy business has stepped in to fill this gap. Fat Spaniel Technologies offers sensors and software that allow businesses to manage their solar energy use, and even offers a service to automate it all. Not only can this help monitor performance, it also lets the data be exchanged and shared with relevant third parties like energy utilities and carbon credit programs.
Managing Multiple Devices
The typical solar energy business today sells a slew of devices that are installed into the home and provide clean energy. Solar panels may generate electricity. Solar water heaters may heat the home and provide water needs. And a myriad of other devices power many other appliances and utilities around the household.
GridPoint is a solar energy business startup that has created a software platform to help manage these various devices that generate and utilize power. For the right prospect, this can be an enormously valuable service, and is one more way solar energy business owners can tap into this hot and growing market.
