The PV market is growing, and by 2020, it will reach nearly 450 GWp of cumulative installed capacity. PV monitoring helps satisfy the needs of PV project developers and system owners by guaranteeing maximum ROI from PV installations.

The report analyses market trends and suggests how PV monitoring has become essential to global energy management systems and the successful integration of large intermittent PV electricity volumes into the electrical grid. For large size installations in mature PV markets, a PV monitoring solution is a mandatory element which should be factored in at the early stages of project development in order to reduce costs.

PV monitoring’s supply chain is a work in progress and there are still many opportunities for small players - especially for companies working in software and data analysis, and firms involved on the local end (distribution, installation, maintenance, etc.).

“The growing need for global energy management solutions provides an opportunity for large multinational companies, which are already looking for small, easy-to-acquire firms that can help them accelerate the development of complete energy solutions such as autonomous PV-battery systems, smart homes and smart cities,” said Milan Rosina, market & technology analyst, photovoltaics, at Yole Développement. “Inverter and battery makers, providers of smart-data analysis methods and well-established local monitoring companies are the focus of ongoing merger and acquisition and partnerships efforts.”

A sample of the report can be found here (pdf).