SunPower launches remote operations center for U.S. plants (will monitor about 1.3 GW)
In order to improve their ability to monitor and control large-scale solar power plants that they operate in the United States, SunPower launched a remote operations control center (ROCC). This ROCC is also being used to monitor operations at solar power plants SunPower has constructed in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia.
“SunPower’s remote operations control center is designed to optimize energy production at our solar power plants, allowing utilities and power plant owners to better manage their energy,” said Tom Werner, SunPower CEO and president. “Increasingly, utilities are adding solar to their energy mix to provide their customers with reliable, cost-effective and emission-free energy.”
The ROCC employs eight staff members who provide monitoring and controls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is fully compliant with North American Electric Reliability Corp., (NERC) including critical infrastructure protection (CIP) reliability standards. SunPower anticipates the facility will be remotely controlling approximately 1.3 GW of solar power plants by 2016.
“As an energy services provider, our ROCC enables SunPower to be a good manager of the utility grid, and enhance safety at our power plant sites,” Werner added. “It is scalable to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of our global power plant fleet.”
The ROCC is located in SunPower’s Austin, Tex. office, which opened in 2011 and employs more than 250 people.
Comments are closed here.