Enact Solar buys PVComplete, creating industry-first AI solar software platform
AI solar software platform developer Enact Solar announced its acquisition of solar engineering and design software firm PVComplete, creating the solar industry’s first end-to-end AI-enabled solar software platform.
Financial terms of the deal, announced Jan. 13, have not ben disclosed.
The new software platform combines PVComplete’s design and engineering capabilities with Enact’s existing solar software platform, representatives say. The technology plans to offer “an unprecedented level of capabilities” to residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar project developers, throughout the entire lifecycle of their projects.
“This acquisition represents a fundamental shift in how the solar industry approaches solar project lifecycles,” said Deep Chakraborty, CEO and co-founder of Enact Solar. “For the first time, insights from thousands of operating solar projects will flow directly back into the engineering and design phase, creating a continuous feedback loop that drives better outcomes for both solar developers and their customers from day one.”
“Key advantages” for solar designers
The PVComplete solar software suite offers service throughout the construction phase, offering both web and AutoCAD-integrated tools to help automate the industry’s permitting and engineering processes. Representatives from the two firms call PVComplete’s platform “essential infrastructure” for both rooftop and ground-mounted projects throughout the solar industry.
“Our mission has always been to make easy-to-use design engineering software tools,” said Shane Lebow, CEO of PVComplete. “Joining forces with Enact allows us to extend that vision across the entire solar development and asset management lifecycle and brings our engineering expertise to an even broader audience.”
Under the umbrella of the new platform, Enact Solar says that solar developers and customers will receive “several key advantages” including AI-enabled data on project performance predictive analytics for maintenance teams. The AI data will connect the full “feedback loop,” the company says, between design and long-term operations, an industry first according to the companies.
Additionally, the union of the two companies will offer engineering and decision tools, allowing solar professionals to create layouts, optimize energy production and generate detailed bills of materials and other resources.
