SunEdison Pushing Standards to Simplify Solar

BELTSVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy services provider, announced today a significant step in simplifying solar across North America by beginning integration of more than 3,300 electric utility-industry standards in the engineering, construction, deployment, and maintenance of photovoltaic systems.

With the IHS Standards Expert solution, a leading information management tool for utility industries, SunEdison engineering, construction and maintenance crews will have real-time access to utility industry standards. The new capabilities and easy-to-use interface of the IHS tool also support SunEdison’s mission to simplify solar. Implementation of broad solar standards will facilitate traditional utility interconnections and drive economies of scale for the solar industry.

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is a global provider of critical technical information, decision-support tools and related strategic services for leading companies in the utility industry.

SunEdison will use the IHS standards management tool to fully integrate standards for the solar industry which are used by electricity providers and traditional utilities. More than 300 SunEdison team members globally will have access to IHS Standards Expert during the development, implementation and refinement of photovoltaic energy systems, tapping more than 3,300 utility-adopted standards and specifications from standards developing bodies, such as IEEE, NEMA, UL and IEC.

“Solar is complex. By driving standards, SunEdison is simplifying the solar industry,” said Thomas (Tom) Rainwater, CEO of SunEdison. “Industry standards are key to ensuring a common language, specifications and measurements for development, construction and maintenance of photovoltaic energy systems in order to extract the maximum value from their systems.”

“We are proud to be working with SunEdison, providing the critical standards information they need in their leadership role in the solar energy industry,” said Jeff Tarr, co-president and co-chief operating officer, IHS. “The utilities industry has complex standards and managing that is the key for any energy service provider. SunEdison is helping to establish the benchmark for the industry which will lead to economies of scale in solar.”