SolarGrade Wins American-made Solar Prize for Software Innovation
October 4, 2022
SolarGrade is a proven solar fieldwork software developed by industry veterans to revolutionize on-site operations and support workforce development
HelioVolta, a software developer and leading provider of independent technical advisory and inspection services for solar projects, today announced that its SolarGrade software won the American-Made Solar Prize, a multimillion-dollar competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Solar Prize is designed to energize U.S. solar innovation through a series of contests that accelerate the entrepreneurial process from years to months. SolarGrade is a cloud-based platform that standardizes and automates solar and energy storage fieldwork with easy-to-use mobile and desktop applications
“We built SolarGrade to empower solar professionals like ourselves, who have high standards for quality, safety and performance but are under immense pressure to reduce costs and save time in a fiercely competitive market,” commented David Penalva, Co-Founder of HelioVolta.
HelioVolta will leverage funding from the Energy Department competition to expand its team and accelerate software development efforts. While the company has already built a strong roster of early adopter clients, it now aims to quadruple the existing SolarGrade user base by 2024 by expanding its value proposition and implementing new features that support fieldwork across the full solar project lifecycle.
“In just a few months, we have already experienced benefits from implementing SolarGrade in our project development, construction and operational asset activities,” commented Armando Solis, Sr. Director of Engineering in the Americas for Lightsource bp. “We plan to continue utilizing the platform as it evolves and improves over time.”
“SolarGrade was selected as a winner for the fifth round of the American-Made Solar Prize because it meets an increasingly urgent need for solar-specific O&M and fieldwork tools,” commented Debbie Brodt-Giles, lead prize administrator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
With installed solar capacity in the U.S. projected to grow nearly threefold by 2027 under the Inflation Reduction Act, solar workforce development and labor shortages have emerged as growing concerns for the industry. SolarGrade helps address these challenges with features such as:
- Pre-built and customizable workflows that standardize on-site processes and procedures so that field teams can quickly identify problems.
- Pre-written issue descriptions that improve field documentation and enable accurate, automated reporting.
- Geo-referenced issue-tracking that reduces time-on-site for future service calls.
“SolarGrade delivers the software features and analytics that solar field teams need to perform work effectively and efficiently. I strongly encourage my colleagues in the industry to adopt the SolarGrade software platform,” commented Jack Bennett, President and COO of Nevados.
The SolarGrade mobile app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Visit https://www.solargrade.io to learn more and sign up for a free trial.
About HelioVolta
HelioVolta, a leading provider of independent inspection and technical advisory services for solar projects, is the company behind SolarGrade, an award-winning software platform for the future of renewable energy fieldwork. Made by and for solar professionals, SolarGrade empowers teams to meet the highest standards for quality, safety, and performance while reducing labor costs and elevating asset care.
About the American-Made Solar Prize
The American-Made Solar Prize is a multimillion-dollar prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar innovation through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office and directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Learn more.
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