Project Overview
A UK solar energy developer and operator managing 280 solar sites (residential, commercial, and utility-scale ...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK solar energy developer and operator managing 280 solar sites (residential, commercial, and utility-scale — 840 MW total installed capacity) needed a unified energy management SaaS — replacing fragmented Excel-based generation tracking, manual REGO submissions, and paper-based O&M (Operations and Maintenance) processes. Ofgem REGO, FIT (Feed-in Tariff — legacy sites), SEG (Smart Export Guarantee — post-FIT), SECR, UK GDPR (commercial tenant energy data — Article 6(1)(b) contract), Cyber Essentials, and WCAG 2.1 AA were mandatory. Budget: £100,000.
Our Approach
Solar generation monitoring
- 1string inverter monitoring (SMA/SolarEdge/Fronius inverter API — real-time AC output, string-level DC data, fault alerts),
- 2combiner box monitoring (DC combiner → smart meter → AWS IoT Core),
- 3irradiance monitoring (pyranometer data — global horizontal irradiance → performance ratio calculation),
- 4weather station integration (on-site temperature, wind speed — affects performance ratio benchmarking),
- 5grid connection monitoring (export to grid, import from grid, DNO notification if export limit exceeded).
Performance ratio
actual generation / (irradiance × installed capacity) — site performance KPI.
Underperforming site detection
- performance ratio <
- 80% for 3 consecutive days → automated fault investigation alert.
REGO and Regulatory Submission Automation
REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin): Ofgem issues 1 REGO per MWh of renewable generation.
REGO automation
- 1smart meter data import (half-hourly generation kWh from Elexon SMSO or on-site meter),
- 2REGO calculation (total generation MWh per month per site),
- 3REGO redemption (ClickMasters submits REGO data to Ofgem e-serve API monthly — fully automated),
- 4REGO certificate issuance (Ofgem confirms certificates — stored in portfolio record). FIT (Feed-in Tariff — pre-2019 sites): quarterly FIT generation data submitted to FIT licensee via licensee API. SEG (Smart Export Guarantee — post-2019): smart meter half-hourly export data → SEG payment calculation → SEG licensee submission. O&
M Work Order Management
- Solar O&
- M: 280 sites across UK — preventive and corrective maintenance.
Work order management
- 1scheduled maintenance (annual panel cleaning, bi-annual full inspection — work orders auto-generated 28 days ahead),
- 2corrective maintenance (fault alert from inverter → work order created → field engineer assigned → mobile app dispatch — React Native),
- 3field engineer app (React Native Expo — site arrival, fault diagnosis, parts used, repair completed, photos),
- 4parts management (spare parts inventory — field engineer consumes parts → inventory decremented → auto-reorder at minimum stock),
- 5contractor management (third-party O&M contractors — work order shared via API, completion confirmed via app).
SLA tracking
- fault-to-fix time per site — contractual O&
- M SLA (e.g., 24-hour response for AC fault).
SECR and ESG Reporting Automation
SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting): mandatory for large UK companies.
Solar operator SECR
- Scope 1 (vehicle fleet for O&
- M engineers), Scope 2 (office electricity — location-based DEFRA factor), Scope 3 (embedded carbon in solar modules — upstream).
SECR automation
- 1fleet telematics (O&M engineer vehicles — mileage × DEFRA petrol/diesel factor = Scope 1),
- 2office electricity metering (Scope 2 — DEFRA grid factor),
- 3solar generation offset (site generation MWh × DEFRA grid factor = avoided emissions — not a Scope credit, disclosed separately as benefit).
ESG investor reporting
quarterly ESG report (GRESB Real Assets for utility-scale solar, TCFD for listed solar investors).
Avoided emissions
annual generation × DEFRA grid factor = CO2 equivalent tonnes avoided — marketing metric for corporate PPAs.
The Results
Platform live at 18 weeks, £92,000 — under budget. 280 sites, 840MW.
REGO automation: 100% (£8.4M annual REGO value).
FIT/SEG: 100% automated.
O&M fault-to-fix: 22.4 hours average (contractual SLA: 24 hours).
Underperforming site detection: 18 sites identified in first year (previously manual monthly review).
Performance ratio monitoring: daily per-site.
SECR automation: 100%.
Avoided emissions reported: 612,000 tCO2e annually.
Cyber Essentials: confirmed.
NPS: 82.
“280 sites, £8.4M REGO automated. O&M fault-to-fix 22.4 hours versus 24-hour SLA. 18 underperforming sites identified — each one representing generation loss we were missing. 612,000 tCO2e avoided emissions reported — our corporate PPA clients use this in their Scope 2 reporting. SECR automated. NPS 82. The underperforming site detection was the operational ROI we did not expect. 18 sites generating below capacity — we estimated £420,000 annual generation loss recovered from the first year of detections. The SaaS paid for itself in month three." — CEO, UK Solar Developer (name withheld)”
Project Details
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