New software gives developers real-time access to 95% of U.S. solar module supply chain
Solar

New software gives developers real-time access to 95% of U.S. solar module supply chain

It’s no secret that the domestic solar supply chain in the United States is getting stronger by the day. But as that chain grows, each new link adds a layer of complexity making it more difficult for various stakeholders to ascertain up-to-date information.

If the Mortal Kombat video game franchise taught me anything, it’s that knowledge is power. Turns out, that’s not just true for memorizing button-mashing combos; the same general sentiment applies to players in the renewable energy industry.

Today Anza, a solar supply chain platform and Borrego spinout, announced its first subscription software and data product only available through Anza that provides developers, IPPs, EPCs, utilities, investors, and independent engineers on-demand access to the solar industry’s most advanced real-time data and software platform. The software grants insights into more than 95% of the U.S. module supply, covering 33 suppliers of 110 solar module products.

“We’ve put together the most comprehensive database around solar module products in the supply chain, full stop,” boasts Anza CEO Mike Hall. “No one else has put together a data set like this.”

“Developers and those in charge of solar procurement no longer have to make assumptions based on outdated market pricing or unreliable forecasts. Instead, they gain access to the most robust and accurate pricing, comprehensive product information, and detailed supply chain data—all in one place, whenever they need,” Hall continues. “The long-tail impact is increased project profits and, ultimately, more solar projects getting funded and online.” 

The old days are gone

Do you remember trying to buy airline tickets before the advent of the internet? Getting what you wanted required effort, often taking the form of calling around for pricing and availability.

Even in an age when most people have access to generations of knowledge on a handheld device, far too many renewable developers are still chasing down their modules by price-shopping the old-fashioned way, going back and forth with vendors and burning thousands of man-hours on tasks that can be better managed by technology.

“It’s shocking that a $60 billion dollar industry is stuck with such rudimentary systems for decisions that have millions of dollars on the line,” noticed Anza’s CEO in an editorial penned on LinkedIn today. “Solar module selection, optimization, and procurement processes are currently mired in inefficiency.”

“It’s a complete waste of time,” says Hall, who recently spoke with a potential customer from a large procurement team who told him they spend nearly 2,000 hours per year manually researching prices.

“We think that the transparency will help both sides of the market. It’ll help the buyers make better decisions about the project and also help the sellers make better product decisions,” he adds.

Anza will offer tiered subscription packages custom-built to fit companies’ unique needs. Its platform promises to minimize risk, save time, reduce lifetime project costs, and help buyers make optimal project decisions.

A glimpse at Anza’s new software offering (courtesy: Anza)

In a few clicks, users can see which supplier has what and for how much. That data can be filtered, searched, and distilled as needed, even down to an estimation of total lifetime value using a metric Anza calls “Effective Dollar per Watt, which takes into account various factors including efficiency and installation costs “And puts it all into one number that allows you to compare apples to apples every module in the market,” explains Hall.

“This helps our team quickly identify value creation for all our projects under development,” noted Greg Hering, CEO of ClearPath Energy.

The result feels like a flashlight shone on an otherwise complex and opaque market.

“Before working with Anza, we were limited to just a handful of suppliers,” admits Jono Stevens, COO of Spreck Energy. “Sourcing information was all done manually, and the market was constantly shifting—it wasn’t an efficient use of the team’s time, and ultimately, we weren’t securing modules that would drive the best project outcomes. Anza’s Effective $/W ranking tables have been incredibly valuable for our team, and with access to data points from a wide range of market sources, we’re able to significantly enhance our decision-making and boost project profitability.”

“A big thing we’re trying to do is to use data and technology to enable the buyers to make value-based decisions,” Hall maintains. “Don’t just buy the cheapest module. Buy the module that’s the best financial decision for your project.”

What’s next?

As difficult as it is to collate data from hundreds or thousands of disparate sources, Anza’s work is just beginning.

“The real challenge is, how do you maintain the data? Because the data is changing multiple times a day as products are getting discontinued, new products are introduced, there are product updates,” reminds Hall. “So the data pipeline is just as important as the snapshot… It’s not a one-time aggregation job. It’s a job of continuous updating.”

Thankfully, most of that updating is handled by algorithms and machines talking to each other rather than people. The fact that the platform engages the buyer and seller sides of the equation helps keep information accurate, which is the whole impetus for the software.

Right now, Anza’s offering is focused on solar module supply, but as the United States expands cell production, more subscribers will want to filter by that metric to ensure projects capitalize on domestic content bonuses. And from there? Anza is eyeing the world of battery procurement.

“We do have a storage offering today, but we’re not selling it as SaaS or as a subscription,” says Hall. “We’re making it available to customers who engage with us to do procurement on specific projects… But yes, that’s coming.”