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 13, 2026
Inox Clean Energy has partnered with integrated renewable energy platform RJ Corp to expand into Africa’s renewable energy markets.
Premium
February 13, 2026
PV Talk: Charith Konda, energy specialist at IEEFA, says India’s 2026-27 budget aims to “establish a stronger supply chain within the solar and PV cell and module sector,” but warns that “execution is as important as the policy itself.”
February 13, 2026
Germany’s federal network agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has announced the results of its latest ground-mount solar auction, which closed with bids for more than twice as much capacity as was tendered.
February 13, 2026
AES Indiana, a subsidiary of US utility AES Corporation, has started commercial operations at a 250MW solar-plus-storage plant in Pike County, Indiana, US.
February 13, 2026
The US Treasury’s interim Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) guidance is “in line with expectations” according to a US renewable energy supply analyst.
February 13, 2026
Solar PV installations in India have reached a record 36.6GW in 2025, a 43% increase from the previous year’s 25GW.

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