PVFARM launches utility-scale solar and storage optimization software
Keller, Texas-based PVFARM has launched the commercial version of its RE PILOT software platform for optimization of utility-scale solar and storage projects.
Along with PVFARM’s other software programs, including the RE STACK battery design platform, RE PILOT “forms an expanding suite of tools for utility-scale renewable energy design,” the company says. The suite of programs aims to enable project design teams to explore a wide range of configurations in intimate detail, before moving on to engineering.
“Early in a solar or solar + storage project, teams need to identify the best direction for several key parameters,” says Cam Connolly, design manager of McCarthy Building Companies, “such as system configuration, equipment selection, and site conditions.”
The new program allows EPC teams, project developers, and energy storage specialists to evaluate “thousands” of utility-scale solar and storage configurations from within a singular workflow. The software not only tests layout, but storage sizing and full project economics, so development teams can explore all options before making a decision.
“Using RE PILOT, we are able to rapidly evaluate this wide range of alternatives and identify promising concepts aligned with the client’s priorities that can be carried into PVFARM for deeper, multidisciplinary engineering and validation,” Connolly says. “Throughout our partnership, PVFARM has shown a commitment to working hand-in-hand with us to solve complex design challenges through advanced solutions that balance performance, cost, schedule, constructability, and long-term project value.”
Facilitating a crucial choice
PVFARM officials say that RE PILOT is a product of input from more than 60 organizations over the course of more than 150 hours of conversations. The company collaborated with more than 80 companies during beta testing for RE STACK and RE PILOT combined, ensuring that the latter “can solve real-world project challenges while reflecting the latest technology and market dynamics.”
“Teams need to evaluate energy, economics, and reliability together,” says Maksim Markevich, co-founder and CTO of PVFARM. “Decisions around battery sizing, facility location, and grid constraints are deeply connected, yet they’re often evaluated separately in different tools and spreadsheets.”
Storage co-location has become standard practice across utility-scale solar developments, PVFARM says, with project teams facing a widening array of project decisions. Between battery sizing, facility placement, grid constraints, and general economics, RE PILOT aims to close the gaps and give teams a single place to test all possible configurations before making a commitment.
“With RE PILOT, we’re giving developers and EPCs one workflow to answer the questions that used to take weeks,” Markevich adds. “What’s the optimal solar and storage configuration, what’s the best layout, and what’s the right storage size.”
