About the SunSpec Alliance

The SunSpec Alliance is a trade alliance of more than 170 solar and storage distributed energy industry participants, together pursuing information standards to enable “plug & play” system interoperability. SunSpec standards address operational aspects of solar PV power and energy storage plants on the smart grid—including residential, commercial, and utility-scale systems—thus reducing cost, promoting technology innovation, and accelerating industry growth.

Global leaders from Asia, Europe, and North America are members of the SunSpec Alliance. Membership is open to corporations, non-profits, and individuals. To understand the idea behind the SunSpec Alliance and its role in the industry, please take advantage of the following materials:

SunSpec Alliance white paper describing the benefits of standards

SunSpec Alliance Backgrounder with overview information

SunSpec Alliance Media Center with downloadable logos, bio, and press materials.

Meet the Team

Tom Tansy
Chairman

Dylan Tansy
Executive Director

Venkat Prabhala
Chief Financial Officer

Standards Enable Growth and Scale

When you examine the ubiquitous technologies around us, their success is often tied to standardization. From video formats, to electrical equipment, to the Internet itself, the establishment of standards has significantly reduced the cost and complexity of systems and enabled low-cost adoption at global scale.

With standards, the Distributed Energy industry (in particular the solar PV industry) can build upon the competitiveness it has already attained, sustain the profitability and economies of scale needed for widespread deployment, and compete on even footing with all other forms of energy generation.

Keys to Success: Open and Free

The SunSpec Alliance takes an open, customer-driven approach to standards development. SunSpec specifications are available for most solar PV system elements and are being adopted around the globe. The ultimate aim of any de facto standard is to become an “official” standard. Accordingly, SunSpec embraces international and national standards of all types and employs a strategy of maintaining compatibility and harmonization with relevant IEC and IEEE standards.

Value Proposition

SunSpec Alliance information standards enable scale efficiency, plug-and-play interoperability, cost and risk reduction, and long-term operational continuity for manufacturers, integrators, plant owners and operators, financiers, utilities, and consumers.

Members of the SunSpec Alliance are creating an ecosystem of products, services, and information systems that work well together, cost less to build and operate, and work well together wherever they are deployed.

SunSpec standards enable interoperability of components and systems, are compatible with diverse utility grids and microgrids around the globe, and support the establishment of Distributed Energy as financial asset class.

Governance

The SunSpec Alliance is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected annually. Steering Committees provide leadership and guidance for Technical and Marketing activities. Technical working groups develop SunSpec Alliance specifications for PV systems, devices, data acquisition systems, data stores, and applications. Marketing working groups develop and execute member outreach and product certification programs.

Industry Alliances

As an international industry consortium, the SunSpec Alliance collaborates with international standards bodies and industry consortia whenever possible to further development of Smart Grid and renewable industry standards worldwide.

The SunSpec Alliance is located in Silicon Valley, California and is global in scope. To learn more about the SunSpec Alliance and how your organization can benefit, please contact us any time.

SunSpec Alliance
4040 Moorpark Avenue Suite 110
San Jose, CA 95117
Tel: 408-217-9110
info@sunspec.org