Maxeon unveils home energy management system

From pv magazine USA

Maxeon Solar Technologies has released a holistic energy management system to interface with home solar arrays, battery energy storage systems, and the full set of energy loads in the home, including heating and cooling, appliances, and lighting.

The platform takes a step beyond monitoring the system, by proactively advising homeowners on ways to optimize their energy usage. It is capable of recognizing patterns of electricity consumption and suggests further actions for energy bill savings.

One example is the SunPower One system recognizing “always on” devices in the home that would benefit from switching off during periods of peak demand and high electricity prices. It can also identify malfunctioning appliances that may need repair or replacement based on abnormal electricity signals.

With compatible products, the system enables smart use cases that increase self-consumption of solar PV production, scheduling electric vehicle charging times for when excess solar is produced or stored, or running heating and cooling systems at cost and energy-optimal times.

“We expect the SunPower One solution will reimagine and revolutionize the consumer experience Beyond the Panel, keeping homeowners informed with actionable energy insights within their household, helping make their homes more efficient and more sustainable,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of Maxeon Solar Technologies.

Maxeon’s SunPower One will be packaged with the company’s SunPower Reserve home battery. The company said its group of integrated products will continue to grow over the course of the year, adding products like electric vehicle charging, and will unlock additional software capabilities for value-added services for the customer.

The system will also assist installers by reporting opportunities identified by the homeowner’s energy usage behaviors, making suggestions for more products and services for increased energy savings. The SunPower One tool also provides an installer-specific digital sales, design, and quoting platform.

“We have the freedom to think outside the box and leverage next-generation technologies to leapfrog the traditional offerings on the market today. Our customers are our north star, and we will continue to prioritize solving their pain points,” said Ralf Elias, chief product officer at Maxeon Solar Technologies.

Maxeon’s SunPower One platform will launch in Australia in third quarter of 2022 and will roll out to other markets globally throughout 2022. The United States and Canada will not be part of the 2022 launch. A demonstration of SunPower One will take place at Intersolar Europe on May 11 to May 13.

US expansion 

Maxeon made waves in the solar industry when it announced its Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) panel line is now supported by a 40-year warranty in its main distributed solar markets. The IBC cells feature back contact energy conversion, allowing the entire front of the cell to absorb sunlight without any shading from metal ribbons like the ones found in conventional solar cells.

According to Maxeon, these panels have a minimum warranted output of 98% during their first year of operation, followed by a maximum annual degradation of 0.25% for the next 39 years. The result is an 88.3% warranted power level at the end of 40 years.

In November 2021, pv magazine spoke with Mark Babcock, chief revenue officer of Maxeon, who indicated that Maxeon was considering manufacturing in the US, but he said that in order for that to happen a few federal policy changes would be needed.

Babcock said a 3 GW cell manufacturing facility in the US is waiting on an Energy Polict Act of 2005-established Title XVII loan from the US Department of Energy; it also may depend on the success of Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act. Such adoption would make US expansion a more attractive prospect to Maxeon, likely drawing in other industry players, as well, according to Babcock.