Top four takeaways from RE+ 2024

Will Troppe, Director of Product at Power Factors, shares insights from RE+ 2024 in Anaheim, CA. 

I recently attended RE+ in Anaheim, CA. As I always do, I reflected while there. I left with four key takeaways and one over-arching takeaway: credibility is key in our industry, and credibility comes from crisp execution.  

Outcomes First. Buzzwords Second.

Walking the floor, I was struck by the relative lack of AI-forward marketing messaging compared to previous years. What happened? Where was it? Did the bubble burst? 

No, but the bubble has burned people. There’s now a healthy distrust of AI; we’ve moved further along in the Gartner Hype Cycle. Upon closer inspection, AI was absolutely present at RE+. It was just under the surface. Vendors have rediscovered that it’s more important to talk about value and outcomes than it is to discuss how you get there — and doing so builds credibility, too. If you were hiring a general contractor to build a house, would you begin by asking about the tools they use? Initially, no! All you care about is the result. But if you know the contractor specializes in building in a unique or innovative way, or if you’re a contractor or carpenter yourself, the “how” is actually relevant. 

And the “how” does matter in renewable energy management software. The investment is large, and buyer IT teams are knowledgeable. Decision makers place big technology bets that will last years, and they want to be confident they’re getting the best possible outcomes. They want to know they’re partnering with a forward-looking company surfing the cutting edge of what technology innovation makes possible, rather than a product headed toward obsolescence. Software buyers trust that we can deliver against our promises because of how we build our solutions.  

So, we talk about AI. We discuss the problems it’s uniquely qualified to solve, and we talk about the challenges best suited for more traditional analytical methods. We use the right tool for the job. 

Now, one quick note to (some, not all) other vendors. Misnaming your analytical methods leads to misconceptions across the industry. Predictive analytics that aren’t actually predictive sow distrust. If you say you do predictive analytics, but in reality, you’re just “predicting” that yesterday’s energy loss will persist until tomorrow’s absent human intervention, the burden falls on buyers and other vendors to correct you. It erodes credibility when you say that predictive AI-powered trend analysis is helping you detect IGBT failures, but you’re just using standard diagnostic methods. We published a no-nonsense article series that breaks down advanced analytics and how to get the most value out of your data; it’s worth revisiting. 

Ultimately, we’re all on the same global team working toward the same goal of mitigating climate change through clean energy. Credibility matters. Be truthful. And buyers, be skeptical. If the “how” matters to you, make vendors prove their methodology to you. And above all else, don’t be swayed by nice marketing taglines — even Power Factors’. Make us prove it. 

Onboarding Execution is Key 

A demonstrated track record of execution is invaluable to any company. Execution eats strategy for breakfast. Without it, you’ll fail to execute even the best-laid plans. It’s no secret that the clean energy industry often struggles with execution. 

Struggles multiply as vendors increase and during periods of significant change. Commissioning a power plant and its SCADA system and implementing an asset performance management (APM) application are both moments of complicated, dynamic transition.  

In the APM space, nobody has done implementation right to date. (We think we’ve figured it out; stay tuned, or contact us, for more.) At RE+, we were approached by a number of asset owners and operators who’ve attempted to adopt another vendor’s product, only to encounter painful implementation periods that overshoot their committed schedules by 50% or more, draining patience and resources. This is sad because software products don’t deliver value until all sites are implemented with sufficient quality.  

In order to accelerate time-to-value, nailing site implementations matters. Doing implementation right requires both the right mindset and the right tools. By definition, it’s the first time most users interact with the product, and it’s crucial to make a great first impression. Onboarding challenges risk plaguing the entire relationship. That’s why Power Factors is committed to underpromising and overdelivering. Communicating what’s happening. Explaining the “why.” And building tailored, purpose-built tools to speed things up significantly. 

A vendor’s goal must be to deliver a fully configured, accurate solution that provides value — as opposed to just getting the project off their plate as quickly as possible. The “chess timer” approach to site onboarding leads to premature delivery, which ultimately leads to lower customer satisfaction and longer overall onboarding times.  

Tools must guide information transfer between vendor and customer, and tools must link contracted value delivery to engineering rules that define “done.” Tools used to perform onboarding must be suited for the task, allowing for bulk and batch actions that minimize manual lift while maximizing quality. 

And implementation is just one part of the overall customer, user, and site onboarding process. 

Customers Want an Ecosystem 

Every new power plant needs a SCADA or DAS system to operate. Fleet managers, operators, asset managers, and performance engineers need APM solutions to oversee their fleet at scale. Interoperability between SCADA and APM software drives efficiency: customers need systems that talk to each other to succeed. 

Power Factors has robust, market-proven solutions across SCADA, APM, and beyond. Our controls software is present in 75 countries, and our BESS controls are distributed far and wide, powering over 40% of the UK market. We deliver. 

Solutions beyond SCADA and APM serve further needs across the asset lifecycle. AI Insights helps users glean more value from their APM datasets; Field Service Management optimizes field teams around people, skills, tools, and spare parts; Asset Oversight holds service providers accountable to their contractual commitments, and Invoice Management automates invoicing. 

Our modular suite aims to deliver a holistic set of applications for varied stakeholder and industry needs. But we can’t do everything. The ecosystem extends beyond our own tools. RE+ was filled with passionate people building cool things. People are in this industry for the right reason, and we must work together to succeed together. 

Disconnects Between the Field and the Boardroom 

I walked by a module manufacturer alongside an unnamed (snarky) colleague who’s been in the industry for almost twenty years. “Wow, look at these 800W modules! So stupid.” I played dumb. “Why?” Turns out, they have a large unsupported, thin glass surface area and are often frameless, all to cut costs. This makes them prone to breaking during installation and operation. Large modules made with limited materials look great on paper — look at that $/W! — but fail in practice. Short-sighted thinking strikes again. 

Big modules highlight a key challenge in our industry: the disconnect between the boardroom and the field. Executive teams must consider both CapEx and OpEx in decision-making. Asset owners should exercise caution when performing due diligence on sites where developer shortcuts may introduce unacceptable operational risk long-term. Talk to your operations and field teams and build a feedback loop for greenfield development by listening to your battle-scarred experts: they know what to look for. 

I’ve heard of similar disconnects between the boardroom and the field in the energy storage industry. In one example, a BESS fire suppression system was designed to flood the container with water in the event of thermal runaway. Sure enough, during operations, a container flooded. Water is heavy. The forklift capable of lifting the flooded container, unfortunately, could not squeeze through the site to get to it. Oops. 

At its best, our software is a conduit between the field and the boardroom. It makes sure the people closest to the action have an unfiltered, virtual seat at the table. And it ensures cloud truth is equal to ground truth, which builds trust and leads to superior decision-making. 

Concluding Thoughts 

This industry is alive and it’s maturing. Let’s continue to build on all we’ve learned — toward a future that’s credible, crisp in execution, fully supported, and forward-thinking. 

Will Troppe is Director of Product at Power Factors. Follow him on LinkedIn!