Australian solar analytics company Solar Analytics now offers a new service that allows solar owners to retrieve consumption data directly from retail meters, eliminating the need for additional consumption metering.
Australian solar analytics company Solar Analytics has launched a new service that allows solar owners to retrieve consumption data directly from retail meters, eliminating the need for additional consumption metering. Known as Integrated+, the rollout to all eligible homes on the National Electricity Market (NEM) follows a trial run in Victoria.
Integrated+ is made possible by the federal Consumer Data Right (CDR) program, which aims to standardize secure data sharing for the benefit of consumers. It allows you to “request your information to be securely transferred to an accredited service provider so that you can research, compare and use services more easily.”
Originally implemented in the banking sector, the program has now been expanded to cover the energy sector, with the participation of three major retailers with a market share of 65%, with additional retailers coming under the following rules: all retailers with more than 10,000 customers. required to comply with the CDR.
Potential savings, while significant, are limited. This is partially offset by the need to pay a monthly subscription of about $10 a month for Solar Analytics for Integrated+, although there are additional features in addition to the service. Additionally, the standard retail metering data transmission method involves sending data once a day, which may not be ideal for solar owners looking for real-time data, meaning consumption data is always historical and a day behind. Still, the company said the majority of solar owners who participated in the trail found it sufficient.
“Having been in the solar industry for 30 years, it has always bothered me that the valuable data collected by retail meters was not readily available to solar owners,” said Nigel Morris, Director of Business Development at Solar Analytics. pv magazine. “It’s taken far too long, but retailers are now required by law to share this information. It’s a game changer for solar owners, and I think it represents the future of access to information.”
