Pocobor.


SolarCity: SolarGuard Monitoring System


CLIENT SolarCity is a leading provider of residential and commercial solar power financing, installation, and service.

PROJECT GOAL Design, prototype, develop and release a remote monitoring system that allows SolarCity and its customers to track the performance of each of their thousands of solar panel installations in real time.

OVERVIEW SolarCity contracted Pocobor to develop a remote monitoring system for their solar panel installations. The 2-part wireless system has one component installed in the solar inverter (the "bridge") and one component plugged into the home or business's internet connection (the "gateway").

The bridge must be able to communicate with multiple brands and models of inverter as well as the gateway, which must also interface with the SolarCity server via the internet. The system allows SolarCity to track a variety of performance metrics and diagnose system errors remotely in real time, saving them time and money in system maintenance and performance. Pocobor was involved in all stages of the design process, including concept generation, initial design and prototyping, product development, design for manufacturability, and product release.

PROJECT PHASES
Initial Design: preliminary software and hardware design and prototyping, development of mesh network compatible communication protocols (server-to-field and intra-field).
Development: enclosure design, prototyping, initial testing and iterative redesigns.
Production Design: final hardware and software design, full production unit testing, FCC certification, system use and maintenance documen-tation, manufacturer and supplier qualification.
Deployment: provided field support for initial product release.

VALUE PROVIDED Pocobor provided SolarCity with expertise, bandwidth and a time- and cost-effective development cycle that allowed them to focus on their core business (solar panel installation) without having to allocate precious internal resources to develop a wireless communication and monitoring system.


Partial Client List

  • Volkswagen

  • Bosch

  • SolarCity

  • GreenVolts

  • Kirkland & Ellis LLP

  • Ardica

  • Red Visor Designs

  • PicWing

  • Vestal Design

  • JPWorks

  • Knoend

  • Ploom