GTM Research, the leading U.S. solar market intelligence provider, and the SunSpec Alliance, a global information standards trade alliance for the distributed energy industry, are partnering to provide solar plant performance data analytics to the development and finance community in order to increase transparency, better characterize risk, and improve access to capital.
The Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse (oSPARC) is a user-driven actuarial database to compare and assess the performance, health and reliability of solar projects. SunSpec developed oSPARC in conjunction with NREL to support the Solar Access to Public Capital (SAPC) initiative, which includes more than 170 companies. Through this partnership, oSPARC participants will be able to participate in a new GTM Research program, oSPARC Plus, which will analyze project and portfolio performance, compare system characteristics, and ease access to future project capital.
“With more than 6.3 gigawatts of distributed solar operating today in the U.S. and a mandate to build another 11.6 gigawatts through 2016, now is the time to perform robust analysis on how these systems are performing in the field in order to bring a wider class of investors into the market,” said Shayle Kann, Senior Vice President at GTM Research. "The oSPARC Plus program will be the market’s premier source of performance data, and we are excited to forge a partnership that will provide value to both oSPARC participants and the industry as a whole.”
Data providers that participate in the GTM Research program through oSPARC Plus will receive regular customized reports on their fleet performance and tailored benchmarks. Data providers can sign up for the program immediately, and GTM Research expects to begin delivering reports in the second half of 2014.
“We are pleased to welcome GTM Research to the SunSpec Alliance and look forward to working with the GTM team to drive even greater adoption of SunSpec standards and the oSPARC system,” said Tom Tansy, Chairman of the SunSpec Alliance, adding, “This combined effort will increase investor confidence, PV system quality, and transparency in the solar industry."
Solar installers, EPCs, O&M providers, monitoring companies, fleet operators and investors are all welcome to participate. Interested parties can download the flyer here or contact performance@gtmresearch.com for more details on participation.
More information on oSPARC is available here.