Dear SunSpec Members and Supporters,

The SunSpec Alliance is off to a roaring start in the first quarter of 2023 with many new developments that are impacting both the organization and the industry. Thank you Members for your valuable time and attention that has helped us reach these milestones:

• • Leadership: To help drive our next phase of growth, SunSpec has attracted three fantastic new members to the SunSpec Board of Directors:

    • • Jan Rippingale, CEO, Blu Banyan. Jan is a champion for Orange Button, the initiative that is enabling automation in DER sales, design, construction, and supply chain management. Jan’s company is an Orange Button implementer and her company’s software is the engine that drives nearly 1/3 of all residential solar installations in the U.S.

    • • Vish Ganti, VP of Products, AutoGrid. Vish is a visionary leader of Autogrid, now part of Schneider Electric. Autogrid is pioneering the science of flexibility management. This innovative approach enables energy providers to mine the Energy Internet’s rich data lode to extract flexible capacity from Distributed Energy Resources.

    • • Larry Truong, Product Manager, TMEIC. Larry is a product manager and cybersecurity expert for TMEIC, a joint venture between Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric specializing in industrial electric and automation systems for industrial plants. TMEIC ranked number 10 in worldwide solar inverter shipments in 2022.

• • Standards Development: With the input of our Members we are growing the SunSpec Modbus Work Group, IEEE 2030.5 Profiles Work Group, Cybersecurity Work Group, and the Orange Button open source project, each of which has a concrete, near-term agenda and goals. Members of the Alliance can enroll in these Work Groups in the SunSpec Member portal.

• • Training: Free online DER training is now available in the SunSpec Member portal. With five modules already available–covering topics ranging from Solar Energy Basics, to Implementing SunSpec Modbus, to System Cybersecurity for 2030.5 Networks–and more than 10 additional modules scheduled for release in 2023, the online SunSpec Academy is a core component of the SunSpec offering going forward.

• • Funding: SunSpec has completed its transition from its reliance on public grants to being 100% Member focused and funded. To achieve this goal SunSpec increased annual membership dues to $5,000 (still among the lowest in the industry) and has begun implementing new programs that enable Members to maximize the return on their participation. Read more here.

With these milestones achieved, SunSpec is well situated to support the DER industry’s growth and maturation as it transitions to a fully interoperable, networked, and secured architecture. This is the vision shared by the more than 170 total Members of the SunSpec ecosystem and we invite all who share these goals to come participate in forming the connective tissue for the globally distributed grid.

Best,

Dylan Tansy
Executive Director
SunSpec Alliance

California Delays Adoption of
IEEE 1547-2018 until August 29, 2023

Citing the delay in the publication of UL 1741 SB “inverter standard,” the California Public Utility Commission granted the request of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) “for a five-month extension to transition to mandatory SB inverters.” This extension moves the deadline for IEEE 1547-2018 to August 29, 2023.

Given that California tends to be a leader on these matters, SunSpec believes that the other U.S. states that have not adopted the standard yet will follow suit and likewise delay adoption until late summer or fall of 2023.

Download Official Declaration

SunSpec To Participate In The Renewable Energy Cybersecurity Leadership Roundtable In Washington DC

Tom Tansy, Chairman of the SunSpec Alliance, will be participating in the “Renewable Energy Cybersecurity Leadership Roundtable” on April 18 and 19 in Washington, DC. This two-day, invite-only roundtable will include the White House Cyber Assistant Director, Harry Krejsa, along with other key stakeholders and leaders from the Department of Energy, National Labs, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and others.

This roundtable will discuss on how the renewable industry is aligned with the recently published White House National Cybersecurity Strategy and focus on the goal of federal and state coordination with clean energy trade groups to ensure we are secure by design. The SunSpec Sandia Cybersecurity Working Group has done a lot of work in this area and we look forward to describing how security can be realized using the principles we’ve developed.

SunSpec Sandia Cybersecurity Webinar Series Continues To Break New Ground

On March 30, 2023 the SunSpec Sandia Cybersecurity Webinar series held its 26th presentation when Brian Peterson of the International Society of Automation described “Incident Command System for Industrial Control Systems” and how this technology can be applied to Distributed Energy Resources.

Though not often reported, cybersecurity incidents are occurring with increasing frequency and the industry needs a way to cope with and recover from them. Brian’s talk described one way to address that challenge.

To see a recording of Brian’s presentation, or to see any of the other great presentations that preceded this one, visit https://sunspec.org/sunspec-der-cybersecurity-initiative/

Member Dues Increase
Special Offer 2 Week Extension for Current Members

Starting April 1, 2023, the price of Contributing Membership will increase from $4,000 to $5,000 per year. SunSpec is updating our annual membership fee to bring you more great services.

Until April 14, 2023 current SunSpec Members may prepay for two years of membership at the previous price of $4,000 per year. Even if you recently renewed your membership, this offer still applies.

To take advantage of this offer, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Membership@SunSpec.org and we will be happy to assist. Thank you for participating in the SunSpec Alliance. We look forward to continuing to support you and the industry for years to come!

Expanded Services for 2023:

• • Certification: Expanded SunSpec Certification programs to include Cybersecurity and EV/EVSE profiles

• • Education: Triple the number of self-paced on-demand online education program offered directly from SunSpec, free to Members.

• • Support: Searchable online knowledge base of all SunSpec Standards, expanded FAQs, regular technical workshops

• • Web Portal: Enhanced member portal to easily access all the above