When it comes to data monitoring, too many unanswered questions still exist about system performance. Project owners haven’t been able to answer the critical ‘why?’ when comparisons of expected to actual energy and financial returns don’t align, leaving them at a loss as to how to get their project back on track. Until now. A discussion of next generation monitoring and SCADA technology and how the improved business intelligence and remote capabilities these technologies provide can bolster project returns in significant ways. Includes real-world project examples that demonstrate how smart data monitoring can inform incremental changes to improve project performance, as well as how remote SCADA controls informed by data alerts can rein in costs. Also addresses cybersecurity concerns and how mitigating security risks while maximizing project potential must be top of mind in this new era of smarter solar.

1. FILLING IN THE BLANKS
HOW WHAT YOUR DATA MONITORING ISN’T TELLING YOU IS THREATENING YOUR FINANCIAL RETURNS

2. YOUR PRESENTERS
INTRODUCTIONS
Jonathan Eastwood - VP International & BD
Leveraging 12 years’ experience, supporting over 750MWs of renewable energy projects, Jonathan has supported
a range of development activities from engineering to sales. With that he brings to each engagement holistic
counsel related to driving out costs, optimizing designs and otherwise making projects more successful.
Internationally, Jonathan is responsible for identifying and developing new calls and partnerships in emerging
markets. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from the University of California Santa
Barbara.
Kate Trono - VP Products
Kate directs the product management of roof, tracker, and fixed-tilt mounting systems; leads the growth and
execution of the PowerCare services division; manages SunLinks TechHub team in expanding electrical and
software product capabilities; and spearheads the Ideation Committee - SunLink’s cross-department idea
generator. Working closely with the engineering, sales, supply chain, project management, and marketing teams
and SunLink’s customer partners, her goal is to deliver the most compelling solar energy solutions in today’s
commercial and utility PV market. Kate holds a BS in civil engineering and an MS in structural engineering from the
University of California Berkeley.

3. OVERVIEW
AGENDA
▸ DEFINITIONS
▸ PROJECT EXAMPLE
▸ SCADA / DAS CHALLENGES
▸ ENTECH CONVERGENCE SOLUTIONS
▸ THE SOLAR MARKET
▸ Q&A

4. DEFINITIONS
THE BASICS
SCADA
‣ Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition
‣ Used to control plant or equipment in a wide range of industries
‣ Goals: Performance analytics and optimization through controls
Operational Monitoring
‣ Data Acquisition
‣ Records system production
‣ Used for billing
‣ No controls
‣ No intelligence

5. OVERVIEW
WHY FOCUS ON SCADA?
‣ SunLink is a solar energy solutions
company
‣ Identified Operational monitoring and
SCADA as a pain point for solar plant
stakeholders
‣ Lots of disparate systems layered on top
of one another
‣ One of the most important elements of
the system but the last to be considered
‣ Current providers working within
proprietary systems

6. DIFFERENTIATORS
THE VERTEX SOLUTION
‣ Considers plant stakeholder requirements within one, open platform
‣ RESTful API - stimulates innovation within developer community
‣ Robust Cybersecurity – allows plant controls to be extended to those that need
them most
‣ Pricing based on functionality, not device count

7. COMPARISON: PROJECT BEFORE AND AFTER
ASU PROJECT DATA
Power(kW)
-50
0
50
100
150
200
Time
6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00
Power(kW)
-45
0
45
90
135
180
Time
6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00
INVERTER 1 INVERTER 2 INVERTER 3
Before VERTEX After VERTEX
Unaddressed tracker
results in single day
loss of 77kWh
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION
$419.25
‣ Lost Revenue @ $0.25/kWh
‣ O&M Cost: $400/site visit

8. SILOED DATA INCOMPLETE
ANALYTICS
INEFFICIENT
ACTION
‣ Projects separate from
portfolio
‣ No Big Data extraction
(manual Excel data
dumps)
‣ Business intelligence
tools aren’t integrated
‣ Lack of creative sensor
utilization
‣ Multi-user environments
handled poorly
‣ Alarms & events linked to
project, not device
THE DATA & CONTROLS PROBLEM
INSUFFICIENT INTERACTIONS
WITH ENERGY ASSETS
‣ Unique logins per DAS/
SCADA platform
‣ Limited dashboards
developed for solar focus
on what, not why
‣ Security solutions
decoupled from today’s
workflow

9. “INRIX SCOOPS UP USER DATA AND
CROSS-REFERENCES IT WITH
HISTORICAL TRENDS AND
CROWDSOURCED INCIDENT REPORTS. IN
THE EVENT OF A TRAFFIC-CRIPPLING
INCIDENT, INRIX IS ABLE TO PINPOINT
NOT ONLY THE LOCATION OF THE
ACCIDENT, BUT ALSO WHERE THE
TRAFFIC QUEUE BEGINS.”
Eli Epstein, Mashable
SILOED DATA
CHALLENGE
‣Smart roadway design and
traffic control through
disperse sensor data
‣http://mashable.com/
2014/10/01/data-traffic-
jams/#tuIU4lzHpEqn

10. CHALLENGE DETAIL 1
SILOED DATA
SOLAR CHALLENGE
‣Unique SCADA/DAS
logins per platform
https://solarems.net/login
https://solaros.datareadings.com/
http://www.geautomation.com/user/login

11. “THIS TYPE OF REAL-TIME FEED BACK
ON ENERGY USAGE, OFFICE LAYOUT, OR
EVEN THE AFFECT OF LIGHTING ON
PRODUCTIVITY CAN BE LIKE A/B
TESTING IN THE REAL WORLD.”
Stacey Higginbotham, Fortune
INCOMPLETE
ANALYTICS
CHALLENGE
‣Commercial building
sensors to do more than
energy efficiency
‣http://fortune.com/
2015/11/02/smart-
buildings/

12. CHALLENGE DETAIL 2
INCOMPLETE
ANALYTICS
SOLAR CHALLENGE
‣Limited dashboards
developed for solar
‣Those that exist focus on
energy output, not losses
or optimization http://trimarkassoc.com/scada/t1-s-axiom/
https://www.ge.com/digital/products/production-asset-reliability
http://saki.iwarp.com/solar/solar.html
http://locusenergy.com/solutions/data-acquisition-systems/kiosk-application

13. “SELF-DRIVING CARS COULD VIRTUALLY
ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR SIRENS AND
HORNS, RAJ PATEL, THE GLOBAL
LEADER OF ACOUSTICS AT ARUP, A
DESIGN FIRM, TOLD ME. ALREADY, THE
CARS ARE PROGRAMMED TO DRIVE
MORE CONSERVATIVELY IF THEY DETECT
FLASHING LIGHTS, AND IN THE FUTURE,
EMERGENCY ALERTS COULD BE SENT
DIRECTLY—AND SILENTLY—TO THEIR
COMPUTER SYSTEMS.”
Alana Semuels, The Atlantic
INEFFICIENT
ACTION
CHALLENGE
‣Reduce street noise
through targeted alarms
inside vehicles
‣ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
archive/2016/04/the-future-will-be-
quiet/471489/

14. CHALLENGE DETAIL 3
INEFFICIENT ACTION
SOLAR CHALLENGE
‣Security solutions decoupled
from today’s workflow, but
facilitating mobile solutions
creates cyber threats
‣Focus on physical Network
Operations Control (NOC)
security rather than cyber
http://www.firstsolar.com/en/Technologies-and-Capabilities/Operations-and-Maintenance/First-Solar-Operations-Center

15. FROM DATA TO
INFORMATION
VISUALIZE AND
UNDERSTAND
TARGETED &
REMOTE
IMPROVEMENTS
‣ Algorithms for portfolio
intelligence
‣ Real-time streaming data
‣ Integrated business
intelligence tools
‣ Sensors from industrial
internet of things (IIoT)
‣ Multi-users
‣ Alarms & events with
context and interactive
capabilities
ENTECH CONVERGENCE
CROSS-INDUSTRY LEARNING
FOR ACCELERATED ADOPTION
‣ RESTful APIs automate
cross-platform
communication
‣ Solar-specific widgets &
developer access to
expand capabilities
‣ Mobile-first, best-in-class
cyber security to enable
remote SCADA

16. SOLUTION DETAIL 1
SILOED DATA
CHALLENGE
‣Unique logins
SOLUTION
‣RESTful API’s to facilitate cross-
platform communication

17. SOLUTION DETAIL 2
INCOMPLETE ANALYTICS
CHALLENGE
‣Solar dashboards focus on what,
not why
SOLUTION
‣Solar-specific widgets & access to
expand dashboard capabilities

18. SOLUTION DETAIL 3
INEFFICIENT ACTION
CHALLENGE
‣Security/O&M focuses on NOC
SOLUTION
‣Mobile-first, best in class cyber
security to enable remote SCADA

19. DEVELOPER
Portfolio business
intelligence
Energy v.
modeled
EPC
Fastest to grid
connection
Lowest project costs
DATA AND CONTROLS
WHAT’S NEEDED IN TODAY’S
SOLAR MARKET
O&M
Fewest truck rolls
Highest uptime
OWNER
Optimized energy
Participate in power
markets
ENERGY COSTS
Budgets are intolerant of
custom solutions
&
Solving for project
lifecycle exceeds most
platform capabilities

20. DEVELOPER
EPC
O&M
OWNER
Performance
guarantees
Geospatial
alarms
Remote
control
Portfolio
intelligence
VERTEX
VERTEX
AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO
SCADA
Cyber security to facilitate
remote controls
&
Data context: geospatial
and project within
portfolio

21. COMING SPRING
2016
Visit the App Store to
download Vertex by SunLink
and see live project data
monitoring in action.