We are honored to announce that kWh Analytics has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to participate in the Orange Button℠ initiative. This industry-led collaboration is aligned with kWh’s broader mission to establish clear data standards, provide transparency for the solar industry, and broaden access to renewable energy. A portion of Orange Button’s $4 million grant will help kWh Analytics implement data driven solutions and boost solar bankability. Other Orange Button grant recipients include the SunSpec Alliance, SGIP, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Similar to how the “Green Button” initiative reduced costs by standardizing data from electric utilities, the Orange Button initiative seeks to reduce solar costs by improving access to and quality of data across the project life cycle. By establishing standards in which rapid data exchange can move across the value chain, leading energy companies can drive out inefficiencies in the market, establish greater transparency, and support stakeholders in making smarter investment decisions.
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative has supported and launched these “Button” initiatives to establish a collaborative national effort, under a unified brand, to drive innovation and cost-competitiveness within the solar market. Orange Button aims to accomplish these initiatives through engagement, standards development, and data exchanges. To support this effort, kWh Analytics is bridging the gap between solar firms by developing the critical infrastructure needed to facilitate transmission of solar-related data between developers, investors, and other key stakeholders.
Founded in 2012 by longtime solar veteran Richard Matsui, kWh Analytics seeks to support the growth of solar utilization through increased transparency and reduction of soft financing costs. “Lack of data standards has been a key factor in holding the industry back from its true potential,” said Matsui, CEO of kWh Analytics. “At kWh Analytics, we are proud to be part of a team that is leading the industry towards greater efficiency. This initiative is an extension of our company’s core vision of bringing down the cost of capital for solar assets and establishing greater cost-competitiveness throughout the industry.” Emphasizing the need for data-driven transparency in unveiling the true performance of solar assets, kWh serves to transform the ways in which investors identify opportunities and accurately price risk in this exciting new asset class.
About kWh Analytics
kWh Analytics is the industry leader in risk management software for solar energy investments. Their flagship software product, HelioStats, manages project-level data from more than 50,000 solar power projects in the United States, creating the industry’s largest independent database of solar asset performance. kWh Analytics strengthens the solar industry by increasing transparency, improving investment decision-making, and enabling efficient risk management.
About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.