CASE STUDY
Nautilus Solar Energy
Location
New Jersey
Commercial Operational Date
2011
Solar Sites in Portfolio
113 sites, 238 MW
Solutions
Full edge-to-cloud platform – including PowerTrack, PowerManager 2200, and weather sensors
Site Peak Energy Consumption
Solutions
Solar Plus Storage, Renewable Energy Integration, 24/7 Monitoring, Solar Forecasting, and Advanced Modeling via Athena®
Empowering Solar Portfolio Growth for Rapid Expansion with Nautilus Solar Energy
The partnership between Nautilus Solar Energy, an acquirer, developer, and operator of community solar projects, and AlsoEnergy, a Stem company, focuses on shared collaboration to streamline asset management for community solar projects in the C&l market segment. Headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, Nautilus Solar Energy has been actively involved in developing, acquiring, and operating community solar projects across North America since 2006. A streamlined system design process for Nautilus projects led them to use AlsoEnergy for 113 sites with a total capacity of 238 MW. Now, a codesigned template built for specific requirements smooths data configuration, and custom remote features quickly bring Nautilus sites up in PowerTrack, an application on Stem’s Athena® platform, allowing real-time data visibility within days of energization.
Challenge
Nautilus Solar Energy faced several challenges as its project pipeline expanded. Their proprietary cell modems complicated the onboarding process, requiring repeated support for data configuration. Additionally, they needed to centralize their Data Acquisition System (DAS) and SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) setups to ensure consistent and accurate data across all projects, facilitating efficient analysis and operations. And they sought a partner capable of accommodating proprietary IP for quick asset onboarding.
Solution
AlsoEnergy provided a comprehensive solution to address Nautilus's challenges. AlsoEnergy’s edge-to-cloud platform and professional services streamlines asset onboarding, integrating owner hardware data and standardizing the entire portfolio on AlsoEnergy's PowerTrack application. This implementation maximized production, minimized downtime, and allowed for remote management of all sites. A template was co-designed to configure proprietary modem data with PowerTrack, ensuring quick and seamless onboarding of new assets. AlsoEnergy's support extended to training and coordinating with field teams during the construction phase. An API connection was created for older sites not standardized on AlsoEnergy's platform to ingest site data into PowerTrack, streamlining O&M and reporting. AlsoEnergy also enabled Nautilus to implement a fleet of cellular gateways for streamlined communication, remote SCADA access, and more accurate reports.
Results
The partnership with AlsoEnergy yielded significant results for Nautilus. They grew their portfolio from 26 MW to over 230 MW in just two and a half years. Standardizing on AlsoEnergy's platform enabled Nautilus to estimate solar production across sites, distinguish real-time alerts efficiently, and enhance installation, commissioning, and O&M processes. PowerTrack provided advanced analytics and standardized reporting integration with each site's utility. As a result, Nautilus is on track to manage 1 GW of solar assets by 2028, marking a substantial achievement in its growth and operational efficiency.
Gustavo Monteiro
Chief Executive Officer, EDPR NA DG
“This solar + storage project is a prime example of how MEC - and cooperatives in general - have the power to provide equitable access to clean energy for its members and communities all while providing the framework for a more resilient grid. EDPR NA DG’s collaboration with Stem assured the energy storage system would be optimally configured to supply an end-to-end solution to MEC in our first project together.”
