Solar and energy storage procurement firm Anza has launched a new database platform to aid in the procurement of solar modules.
Anza said that the digital platform can “instantly organise and rank every technical, commercial, supply chain, and risk-related aspect of equipment required to select the ideal modules for solar projects”. Earlier this month, the company’s CEO, Mike Hall, wrote a piece for our downstream journal, PV Tech Power, on the shortcomings of a simple dollar-per-watt module procurement strategy.
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According to a statement from the company, the new platform will give buyers visibility over price changes, performance in extreme weather, external supply factors (like the US’ antidumping and forced labour trade laws) and other data. It will allow buyers – whether asset owners, developers or engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms – to maximise product value and fulfil supplier requirements, Anza said.
“We find ourselves at a pivotal moment as solar industry growth, project deployments and technology improvements are all accelerating,” Hall said. “Procurement professionals have to navigate a vast field of module options, and without access to real-time data to evaluate risk and other key factors, they are left having to make critical multi-million dollar decisions with limited information. This is compounded by increasingly prevalent trade and import risks, which can derail project schedules and negatively impact the bottom line.”
The platform operates with a number of “customisable, stackable filters” which buyers can deploy to find products that fit their specific project needs. These include product price, size and extreme weather performance, supply chain factors, technical specifications, third-party traceability audits, payment terms and counterparty risk.
The PV industry is in the midst of a technological shift, as p-type passivated emitter, rear contact (PERC) solar cell and module technology is being replaced in the mainstream by n-type products such as tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and heterojunction technology (HJT) modules and cells. These new products offer longer lifespans and higher conversion efficiencies than their p-type counterparts.
Simultaneously, the landscape of module manufacturers is shifting as new players enter the space and the major Chinese players adjust to plummeting prices and massive production capacity expansions. The most notable change on the international stage is the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has endeavoured to make the country the main viable competitor to China for solar manufacturing capacity.
The most recent edition of PV Tech Power looks into the impact that these dynamics could be having on solar module quality control, and the possibility of cost-cutting as manufacturers adjust to low prices.
Anza launched in May 2023 and claims that its software has facilitated the assessment of over 25GW of solar PV since its foundation.