SunPower teams on modelling high-penetration PV on California energy network

March 12, 2010
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Two grants totalling US$1.5 million have been awarded to SunPower from the California Solar Initiative Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration (CSI RD&D) Program to explore the planning and modelling for high-penetration PV on the California transmission and distribution network. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is also partnering with SunPower on a second project to research the required hardware and software tools needed for providing bi-directional communication and management between PV systems and utility controls using advanced metering infrastructure.

“Participating in research and development projects under the California Solar Initiative, and partnering with leading solar technologists, will be a benefit to SunPower’s business and broaden the success of solar programs in California,” noted Bill Mulligan, SunPower’s Vice President of Technology and Development.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The CSI RD&D Program is investing US$50 million to fund solar research and demonstration projects designed to reduce the cost and accelerate the installation of solar and other distributed technologies that could employ solar for generation, storage, or that could reduce the use of natural gas.

Read Next

February 18, 2026
Octopus Energy has announced an investment of 'nearly' US$1 billion into Californian clean energy, including a solar-plus-storage project.
Premium
February 18, 2026
Data collection and analysis in solar PV installations is increasingly sophisticated, particularly relating to grid interaction and weather forecasting.
February 18, 2026
Utility-scale solar and wind curtailment in Australia’s NEM reached a record high of over 7TWh in 2025, according to analyst Rystad Energy.
February 18, 2026
Testing and Certification company UL Solutions has launched a new cybersecurity certification programme for distributed energy resources (DER) and inverters.
February 18, 2026
'Advanced forecasting tools are already improving solar and demand predictions by over 30%,' writes Schneider Electric's Frédéric Godemel.
February 18, 2026
There is ‘no way around AI’ for solar companies or Europe’s solar industry as a whole, according to Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
February 18, 2026
9am PST / 5pm GMT
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA