On behalf of the entire Bay4 Energy team, I’d like to welcome you to the APM Chronicle, our Asset Performance Management (APM) blog.
Our vision for Bay4’s APM Chronicle is to foster deeper discussions about asset management and, help solar asset owners, developers and investors discover new ideas and best practices for project optimization. We want to share some of the valuable lessons we’ve learned from our unique vantage point and key factors to ponder that can perhaps help you manage and increase the performance of your solar, storage and other renewable assets.
Optimizing the performance of renewable energy assets has been the core mission of Bay4 Energy Services since our inception. Renewable energy technology, however, has changed a great deal just in the past few years. The definition of APM too has evolved and continues to evolve, which is another reason why we have started this blog.
With the APM Chronicle, I and the other Bay4 team members will regularly explore the definition and nuances of APM, particularly for solar assets, but also for the new era of energy storage and other renewables. We want to share our best practices with you, as well as offer insights on solar technology trends, bankability, data analysis, O&M monitoring, and of course, increasing ROI by optimizing asset performance.
With that in mind, here is how we currently outline APM in the solar space:
Asset. Today’s solar assets include much more than just the renewable facilities under management. Assets also include the people who develop, manage and maintain the physical assets. Whether part of Bay4’s APM management team or a host of critical “on the ground” workers – e.g., vegetation abatement workers – leading-edge APM organizations like Bay4, must carefully consider and weigh the best resources that will both preserve facility uptime and enhance production output. Our blog will be profiling our APM team members and the key roles played in maintaining facility uptime.
Performance. Perhaps the most important word in the APM acronym is “performance.” Modern APM must not only maximize the generation of kilowatt-hours, but also anticipate and prevent the kilowatt-hours that may not be generated. That’s why Bay4 employs a host of intelligent software tools that gather, visualize and evaluate real-time data from energy assets to generate a big-picture view of asset performance. Our proprietary software also details the subtle data deviations that can reveal performance issues and identify potential problems that can be hidden from physical inspections. With active ownership and management of hundreds of renewable assets, you can look forward to the APM Chronicle exploring cases that illustrate how Bay4’s APM intelligent tools can improve asset performance and optimize ROI.
Management. Last but not least, APM includes the active management of solar assets. In other words, the capacity to manage billings and collections, project accounting, contractual compliance, sales/use, property taxes, warrantees, legal paperwork, permitting, federal investment tax credits, and a host of local and state taxes. APM must simultaneously manage these tasks for multiple megawatts across multiple regional, state, local jurisdictions. In fact, it is this management component where Bay4’s software tools, expert human resources, and industry experience come together to provide invaluable support, ensuring system compliance and facilitating profitability for owners and investors.
Over the coming months the APM Chronicle will offer our insights about the latest APM trends, best practices, emerging technologies, and even legislative policies that could impact the financial performance of past, present, and future assets.
We hope you’ll find The APM Chronicle a valuable and regular resource, and we encourage you to comment and add your own thoughts about this or any post in the comments section below. To make sure you never miss a post follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Clay M. Biddinger
Chairman & CEO
Bay4 Energy Services
