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Undoubtedly, solar power is currently a leading choice for Australian homeowners and businesses seeking a rapid transition to renewable energy and clean sources to power their properties. 

With the falling cost of technology, several government incentives, and growing concern about environmental sustainability, solar energy is becoming more accessible day by day. 

But there’s a catch! It’s not only installing solar panels, integrating batteries, and forgetting about them. Understanding the lifespan and performance of your solar panels and battery system is key to enjoying uninterrupted, reliable power.   

Just like any smart investment, your solar setup needs a little knowledge and care to deliver long-term benefits 

Knowing when to upgrade, maintain, or replace components can be the difference between a system that saves you thousands and one that silently underperforms. 

So, as solar energy continues to rise in 2025, read this comprehensive blog to ensure you’re not just riding the wave but navigating it wisely.

How Long Do Solar Panels Last in 2025? | Find Out!

Solar panel lifespan can vary depending on several factors, including the quality of the panels, the manufacturer’s warranty, and Australia’s diverse weather conditions.  

Even though manufacturers usually provide warranties that guarantee that panels will produce at least 80% of their rated power output after 25 years, many panels continue to operate well beyond their warranty period. 

Average Lifespan and Efficiency of a Solar Panel

Modern solar panels are designed to last 25 to 30 years. With proper maintenance and care, some high-quality models, such as Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline panels, can also exceed this range.  

Here’s a breakdown of the two most common solar panel types, Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline, in terms of lifespan and efficiency rating in 2025: 

Monocrystalline Solar Panels 

  • Lifespan: 25 to 30+ years 
  • Efficiency Rating: 18% to 23% 
  • Degradation Rate:  approximately 0.3% to 0.5% per year 

Key Features of Monocrystalline Solar Panels: 

  • Made from a single crystal structure 
  • Higher efficiency and performance in low light 
  • Sleek black appearance 
  • More expensive, but more space-efficient 

Polycrystalline Solar Panels 

  • Lifespan: 25 to 28 years 
  • Efficiency Rating: 15% to 17% 
  • Degradation Rate: approximately 0.5% to 0.8% per year 

Key Features of Polycrystalline Solar Panels:  

  • Made from multiple silicon crystals 
  • Slightly lower efficiency than monocrystalline 
  • Typically, blue with a speckled look 
  • More affordable option, requires more space 

However, their efficiency gradually declines as the panels naturally degrade over time at a rate of 0.5% to 0.8% per year. This means that after 25 years, a panel may still operate at approximately 82% to 87% of its original capacity. 

Therefore, choose quality products, ensure proper installation, and schedule regular maintenance to slow the degradation.  

This ultimately guarantees that your system continues to deliver strong performance well into the future, making your investment worthwhile.

What Factors Affect Solar Panel Lifespan in Australia?

Factors Affect Solar Panel Lifespan in Australia

In Australia, several elements influence the longevity of solar panels. So, below, we’ve listed some of them to give you a better insight: 

  1. Quality of Materials 

    Premium panels like Jinko, Trina, or LONGi often use higher-grade materials that resist degradation better. They usually back these panels with performance warranties that guarantee a specified level of energy production over time. 

  2. Type of Solar Panel 

    Different solar panel types, such as monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film, may exhibit varying degradation rates. Monocrystalline panels, for example, generally experience slower degradation than polycrystalline panels.  

  3. Installation Quality 

    Proper installation, appropriate mounting style, and secure wiring can ensure optimal panel orientation and minimize stress factors. Poorly installed panels may degrade faster due to exposure to moisture or mechanical faults. 

  4. Environment and Climate Conditions 

    Solar panels in hot and humid climates may degrade faster than those in cooler, drier regions. Therefore, environmental conditions like high temperature, humidity, pollution, and heavy rain impact degradation rates.  

  5. Maintenance Practices  

    Regular cleaning and inspections can prevent issues like dirt accumulation and microcracks.  

    Whether DIY or with the help of professionals, periodic solar panel maintenance helps increase efficiency and decrease early panel degradation.  

  6. Manufacturer’s Warranty 

    Many solar panel manufacturers offer performance warranties that ensure a specific level of energy production over a specific number of years. These warranties often cover a degradation rate below a certain threshold, such as 80% of the initial rated efficiency after 25 years.  

  7. Temperature Coefficient 

    Solar panels have a temperature coefficient, which indicates how their efficiency changes with temperature. Panels with a lower temperature coefficient tend to experience slower degradation in hot weather.  

  8. Inverter Efficiency 

    The inverter’s efficiency in your solar system affects panel performance. The efficient and best solar inverter maximizes energy harvest and reduces stress on the panels.

How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Solar Panels?

So, how can individuals adopting solar systems ensure that their panels remain functional throughout their 25-year warranties and even longer?  

Here are 3 practical tips to make your solar panel last longer: 

Choose a Trustworthy Installer

Since these panels have been installed on your home for over two decades, conducting thorough research is crucial when selecting your installation provider. Finding a reputable installer is the most critical step in this process.  

Monitor Your Energy Usage

While it may seem common sense, solar system owners must regularly check how much electricity their panels generate.  

Many modern solar systems come with user-friendly monitoring tools or apps that provide real-time data and previous data usage history, making it easier to stay informed and maximize energy savings.  

Keep Your Panels Clean and Dust Free

It is advisable to keep your panels clean. Different regions may experience various forms of build-up, including dirt, soil, or snow, which can reduce the panels’ efficiency.   

Fortunately, cleaning the panels is a straightforward task that involves gently brushing off any debris with a broom. Just ensure not to apply excessive force that could break or damage them.  

Overall, with proper maintenance and care, solar panels can provide reliable electricity generation for several decades in Australian weather conditions.

Let’s talk about Solar Battery Lifespan| What to Expect in 2025?

There’s no denying that solar batteries are true game changers in the world of renewable energy.  

These powerful integrations elevate your solar experience by storing excess energy generated during peak sunlight hours and making it available when the sun goes down. 

That means your home stays powered, even when your panels aren’t actively producing. However, that’s not all! Beyond solving the problem of solar’s intermittency, solar batteries also play a crucial role in reducing your carbon footprint 

They maximize the use of clean, stored energy so that you rely less on the grid, ensuring grid stability during high demand.  

So, let’s have a look at solar battery types and their longevity:  

Types of Solar Batteries and Their Lifespan

The lifespan of solar batteries can vary entirely based on their chemistry and manufacturing process.  

For example, lithium-ion batteries are the most common in residential solar systems, offering an operational lifespan of 10 to 15 years. In contrast, Lead-Acid Batteries are older technology with a shorter lifespan of around 5 to 7 years. 

However, two other types of batteries are better suited for large-scale systems: Flow Batteries and Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries. 

But do you know there is a subtype of lithium-ion batteries? 

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Batteries are known for their longer cycle life, supporting over 10,000 cycles under optimal conditions. So, if you are planning to install solar batteries, consider trying lithium batteries for incredible results. 

So, now what is a battery cycle? 

Battery lifespan is often measured in charge-discharge cycles. For instance, a battery that goes through one complete cycle per day would reach 365 cycles in a year.  

Therefore, a battery with a lifespan of 3,000 cycles would last approximately 8 years under daily use.  

Solar Battery Lifespan

Maximizing the Lifespan of Solar Batteries: Things You Should Look For!

Yes, solar batteries are essential for a solar power system, and your choice includes system size, budget, expected usage patterns, and desired lifespan. 

However, if you are still in a dilemma, consult a solar energy professional like Cyanergy to determine the most suitable battery technology tailored to your needs and circumstances.  

You can also consider the following matters to maximize the lifespan of your solar batteries in Australia:  

  • Battery Chemistry 

    The type of battery chemistry used significantly impacts its cycle life. Lithium-ion batteries, particularly LiFePO4, have longer lifespans than lead-acid batteries.  

  • Depth of Discharge (DoD) 

    DoD refers to the amount of a battery’s capacity used during each discharge cycle. Shallow discharges, where you use only a tiny percentage of the battery’s capacity, tend to prolong battery life.  

  • Temperature 

    Temperature extremes can significantly impact battery life. Most batteries perform optimally in moderate temperatures (around 20-25°C or 68-77°F).   

    High temperatures can accelerate chemical reactions, leading to faster degradation, while freezing can temporarily reduce a battery’s capacity.  

  • Charging and Discharging Rates 

    Charging and discharging a battery at high rates can generate excess heat, shortening its lifespan. To ensure safe charging and maintain balance, it’s better to use a charge controller. 

  • Maintenance 

    Proper maintenance can extend a battery’s life. For example, regularly checking and maintaining the electrolyte levels in flooded lead-acid batteries can prevent damage and extend their lifespan.  

  • Environmental Conditions 

    Long-term exposure to harsh weather, excessive dust, or corrosive elements can impact the battery storage system’s components and indirectly affect the battery’s life.  

  • Manufacturing Quality and Brand 

    The quality and reputation of the manufacturer play a role. Reputable manufacturers like Tesla Powerwall, Alpha ESS, and SLA Life often provide longer-lasting and more reliable battery products.   

  • Proper Sizing 

    Ensuring that the battery is properly sized for your energy needs can prevent excessive cycling and strain on the battery, which can extend its life.  

Optimizing these factors for your specific solar battery systems will help maximize their lifespan and ensure you get the most value from your solar storage system. 

Want Your Solar Batteries to Last Longer? Do This!

  1. Avoid Deep discharges as regularly discharging batteries to very low levels can shorten their lifespan.
  2. Excessive heat can degrade battery components. So keep batteries in a cool place and ensure proper ventilation. 
  3. Use smart monitoring systems to track battery health and performance.  

End-of-Life Considerations and Recycling of Solar Panel Systems in Australia 2025

In Australia, many people still wonder what happens when solar panels and home batteries reach the end of their lives.  

While solar panels can last several decades, they eventually reach a point where their efficiency reduces significantly. At this stage, they can be either recycled or reused. 

Many components of solar panels, such as glass and metals, can be recycled in the recycling process. This ultimately reduces the need for raw material extraction for new panel manufacturing, helping to protect the environment. 

Similarly, there are also some less degraded panels, which might be appropriate for secondary applications, such as powering small devices or off-grid systems in the repurposing process.

Solar Battery Recycling & Disposal

Like solar panels, solar batteries also need proper disposal and recycling to prevent environmental harm. 

  • Lithium-Ion Batteries: These can often be recycled to recover materials like lithium and cobalt.
  • Lead-Acid Batteries: Lead is widely recycled and considered a valuable product in battery manufacturing.  

What are the Future Trends in Solar Technology

Living in 2025, the future of solar technology seems bright and rapidly evolving. How?  

Continuous technological advancements and growing investment in research and development are making solar energy even more attractive and readily available for residents. 

Manufacturing companies are working collaboratively with researchers to develop more efficient and durable materials, such as Bifacial Solar Panels, Perovskite Solar Cells, Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), and Solar Skin and Transparent Panels.  

Another promising development is self-healing coatings, which can automatically repair minor damages and help maintain panel performance over time.  

These technologies are expected to reduce degradation rates, further extending their lifespan. 

In parallel, innovations in battery technology are gaining momentum. Solid-state batteries, known for their higher energy densities and longer lifespans, are emerging as a potential game-changer.  

Additionally, flow batteries, though not yet widely available for residential use, show promise with operational lifespans of up to 30 years, offering long-term storage solutions for solar energy systems. 

Future Trends in Solar Technology

Takeaway Thoughts

Yes, understanding the lifespans of solar panels and batteries is vital for making informed decisions about renewable energy investments.  

But it’s equally important to stay updated on emerging technologies that may extend those lifespans, improve efficiency, and reduce long-term costs. 

As solar technology continues to evolve, informed decision-making will require not only knowing what’s available today but also anticipating what’s coming next. 

So, for more information on solar energy systems and their components, please explore Cyanergy. You can also talk to our expert team for any of your solar needs.

Your Solution Is Just a Click Away

The post Lifespan Of Solar Panels and Batteries | 2025 Update appeared first on Cyanergy.

Lifespan Of Solar Panels and Batteries | 2025 Update

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Renewable Energy

No Hungry Kids

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I just saw a question on social media: do you want your tax dollars going to feed someone else’s kids??

Yes.  I’d like to live in a world in which no kids go hungry, and I don’t have a problem contributing to create that world.

This may sound like a tall order, especially given the variability of wealth in the world’s countries.

But let’s stick with the U.S. for a minute.  In the US, nearly 14 million children live in food-insecure households, a statistic that has risen recently, with some reports indicating that one in five children face hunger.

This is disgraceful.

So again, yes.  Please sign me up to allocate a portion of my tax dollars to feeding hungry kids.

No Hungry Kids

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Renewable Energy

Wind Power Succeeds to Meet Energy Needs

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Weather Guard Lightning Tech

Wind Power Succeeds to Meet Energy Needs

While European wind giants like Maersk and Ørsted face cancellations and layoffs, America’s offshore wind projects in Virginia and Massachusetts are surging ahead, proving that genuine energy demand trumps political headwinds when the physics and economics align.

Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on FacebookYouTubeTwitterLinkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!

It’s an interesting time to be in wind energy….In a shipyard in Singapore, there’s a vessel worth four hundred and seventy-five million dollars. It’s ninety-eight percent complete, built specifically to install wind turbines off the coast of New York. And it’s just floating there… abandoned.

Maersk Offshore Wind walked away from the contract last week. Just cancelled it. Left Seatrium, the shipbuilder, holding a near-finished vessel with nowhere to go. The ship was supposed to build Empire Wind, but now lawyers are circling and nobody knows what happens next.

This is happening at the same time Orsted, the company that pioneered offshore wind energy, announces it’s cutting two thousand jobs. That’s a quarter of their entire workforce. In Germany, Eno Energy just filed for bankruptcy, leaving two hundred and eighty workers unemployed and the state government holding thirteen million euros in loan guarantees.

You might think the wind industry is collapsing.

But, you’d be wrong. Very wrong.

Thirty miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, workers just accomplished something remarkable. They hammered one hundred and seventy-six massive foundations into the Atlantic seabed, finishing the job in just five months… ahead of schedule… in what everyone agrees was perfect weather. And the weather along the East Cost of the US has been splendid this year.

This is Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, and when it starts generating power next March, it will be America’s largest offshore wind farm. Two-point-six gigawatts of power, enough for half a million homes.

But here’s what makes this story truly odd in today’s US political environment….

Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans from Virginia Beach stood up on the House floor last month to defend this wind farm. Not attack it… defend it. She explained that this project provides a five hundred million dollar power grid upgrade to Naval Air Station Oceana. She called it a matter of national security.

House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, oil country, personally told reporters he delivered Kiggans’ message directly to the President. “We want to do right by Virginians,” he said.

Think about that for a moment. In this political climate, a Republican Speaker is defending wind power. Why? Because Virginia desperately needs electricity. Data centers are consuming power at unprecedented rates, the military requires reliable energy, and this project has already created two thousand American jobs while pumping two billion dollars into the economy.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, something interesting is also developing. Chinese manufacturer Ming Yang Smart Energy just announced they’re investing two billion dollars to build a turbine factory in Scotland. They’re promising fifteen hundred jobs for Scottish workers, with production starting in twenty twenty-eight. The job creations and investment amount sounds great, but there are still many hurdles to overcome. The reliability and insurability of Ming Yang turbines is still a hot topic amongst wind energy engineers. And security concerns with Chinese turbines will surely raise eyebrows of the UK, EU and US governments. Only time will tell….

Remember that ship floating in Singapore? Here’s where the story gets interesting. Dominion has just taken delivery of Charybdis, the first American-built wind turbine installation vessel. When it finishes its work in Virginia, it will be available for other projects — like the Empire Wind project off the coast of New York. One company’s cancellation could become another’s opportunity. We shall see….

And before I forget, up in Massachusetts, without fanfare or political drama, Vineyard Wind has quietly reached fifty percent capacity. Thirty turbines are now spinning, delivering four hundred megawatts to the New England grid.

Here’s what years of covering energy markets has taught me: Politics is temporary, but physics is forever.

The companies struggling today made a bet that political support … and interest rates….would remain stable. The projects succeeding made a different bet entirely. They bet on need and they have flexibility.

Virginia needs power. The military needs energy security. Data centers need electricity to keep the internet running. And when genuine need meets engineering capability, politics usually steps aside.

That abandoned ship in Singapore won’t stay abandoned for long. Those unemployed German and Danish engineers will find new jobs.

Because here’s the secret that wind energy professionals understand but politicians sometimes forget: We’re not running out of wind, we’re running out of power….and money.

The move to lower cost power sources shouldn’t really be about politics anymore. It should be about pocketbook math. And the simple reality that our electricity demand is growing faster than older energy sources can supply.

Ultimately the winners in this industry won’t be the ones with the best political connections or the loudest voices.

They’ll be the ones who understand that when you’re building infrastructure designed to last generations, you’d better be building something the world needs and can afford for years to come.

https://weatherguardwind.com/wind-energy-needs/

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Renewable Energy

SkySpecs Customer Forum Recap with Josh Goryl

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Weather Guard Lightning Tech

SkySpecs Customer Forum Recap with Josh Goryl

Allen and Joel speak with SkySpec’s Chief Revenue Officer, Josh Goryl, at the SkySpecs Customer Forum. With record attendance, the forum emphasized industry collaboration, data amalgamation, and the application of AI for optimizing wind and solar renewable energy assets. SkySpecs announced their expansion into the solar industry, leveraging their established wind solutions to streamline data management and operational strategies across renewable energy sectors.

Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on FacebookYouTubeTwitterLinkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!

Allen Hall: [00:00:00] I’m Alan Hall, host of the Uptime Winner Energy podcast, and I’m here with Joel Saxon and Josh Gar, chief Revenue Officer with Sky Spec, and Josh brought us out this week to participate in the Skys Pick Customer Forum 2025, which as it turns out, has been the largest attendance this year.

Joel Saxum: Yeah,

Allen Hall: it’s grown every single year. Yeah. It’s a room full of people, all experts in blades all here to learn about the next generation of skys specs, blades and

Joel Saxum: CMS predict CMS predict analysis and that’s why it’s growing so much. Right. How, what kind of percentage of the capacity in the states do you think is represented here?

Allen Hall: We, we should have ran the number, I should have came prepared for this, but, um, I mean, I would say. 75%. Yeah. 80%. Okay. Yeah, that’s, you’re talking all the, all the big operators are, are here. Yep. I think, uh, 21 total organizations represented over 40 experts, blades, drivetrain, few senior management as well, and asset management [00:01:00] engineering.

So it’s an awesome, awesome group. We keep, uh, ev It’s tough though. Every year we have to step it up a bit, so we’re kind of, I think we’re outgrowing the space that we’re at here and excited for. Yeah, we’re bursting at the seams. Uh, last year Joel and I were invited to come and it’s the first time that we had been here and I thought, wow, this is a pretty full room.

And this year, like, okay, she’s back. We’re we’re, we are sitting next to the door right now because everybody is trying to learn what Sky Specs offers, what. Power do I have on my desktop right now, but also what is coming and there’s a lot of new product releases happening that were announced just this morning.

Yeah, and I think the cool thing too, that’s it’s not often you’re able to get this many experts from operators together in one room, and even more so ones that cut across drive, train, CMS, all main components and. It can be tough to kind of keep everyone engaged ’cause everyone’s a domain expert in different, different areas.

But the conversations have been been incredible and I think even within [00:02:00] organizations as, as, as well. And so we’re trying to learn how do we help our customers come together more and, and collaborate across. And even just having these discussions that want to discuss pulled out of is fantastic. Just some of that collaboration between even people that are, that are at the same company, they don’t see each other as much.

Joel Saxum: There, there’s some cultural things playing out here that are funny to me because if you’re in wind and you’ve bounced around, if you’re an ISP or you’re at an operator, you know, some of the players and kind of how they act, how they keep their, their, their poker hands close to their chest and stuff. So you see some people sitting at a table and you see, and I noticed this yesterday, like the psychological look of things sails, right?

Mm-hmm. So I’m kind of looking at people listening and stuff and, and the, the one of the persons from an operator that usually does play things close to their hands mm-hmm. Was just kind of sitting there listening. Everyone’s like, what’s your opinion? What’s your opinion? He was like, uh, what’s yours? But, but that being said, the, the collaboration here has been fantastic.

Uh, uh, we were talking with Matt Stead earlier and he was saying mm-hmm. He, uh, was a part of a conversation where someone from Canada, someone from the us they shared some [00:03:00] information and they were like, that’s a amazing, thank you. Let’s swap cards. Different operators, you know, sharing things. Uh, we sat in a couple of the breakout sessions and the breakout sessions.

Yes, we had a presentation. Yes, we were walking through solutions and problems, but they, they devolved into amazing conversations where everybody in the room just kinda like turned to each other and were like, what do you think? How could we use this? Could you use that? Does this make sense? Um, and it’s, and it’s, it’s engineers.

It’s all engineers. Oh yeah. They’re geared to solve the problems and that’s what’s happening.

Allen Hall: Yeah. And, and I think at a macro level, right? Like it’s, it’s a lot of the same themes that, that everyone’s seeing. We’re, we’re talking about the, the same things. And a lot of it is how do we continue to do. More with less as these fleets grow mm-hmm.

There’s different issues that pop up every, every year and just having a tier. To your point, even even last year, last night I was talking to somebody and after the conference they stayed in touch with each other for four months and were talking weekly mm-hmm. On just different, uh, tools and tricks that they [00:04:00] were using to be more, more efficient.

Nothing. Confidential to their, their own organization, but more so how are they more efficient with the tools that they’re, that they’re using. So that’s where a lot of the value is if there’s only so many blade engineers and CMS engineers in the industry. And so it’s important that there’s opportunities for them to learn from each other and they’re, they’re not really competing with one another.

Once a turbines or the solar panels are deployed now, it’s about operational efficiency. And delivering that power. So every operator is maximizing the revenue and you really can’t do that today without Sky specs. You need to have blade data, you need to have CMS data, you need to have, uh, power curve information.

Mm-hmm. Like how your turbines are performing before you can even make sense. So the engineers. To me are finally accessing tools on a almost universally, that they didn’t have five years ago. Yeah. That are empowering them way beyond what they ever thought would be possible.

Joel Saxum: You can’t optimize, uh, an industrial fleet on a spreadsheet.

No. You can [00:05:00] maybe maintain some things and look at some part numbers and figures, a couple things out model wise. Right. But, and I know some good people that are really good with spreadsheets. Yep. But you need, you need tools. You need to, uh, be able to amalgamate your data. You need to be able to look at, I mean, this is one of the big things we’re talking about here.

Um, predict, prevent, perform. Yep. Or did I do it backwards? I’ve gotten it wrong all week. Prevent, predict. Perform. Perform. There you go. There you go. So, so, but looking at this saying, okay, so we have a foundation, we need inspections, we need these things, right? That is the foundation of the data. We have to have collections, whether it’s, uh, inspections, scada data, CMS data, whatever that may be.

Yes. Okay. Now it’s amalgamated into a platform. Now we can see this stuff. Mm-hmm. Now we can start running predictive analytics. We can start visualizing things. Yesterday you and I said, and, and. On the performance monitoring breakout session, and the data that was in that thing was just like, what about this?

You could use this data for that. You could use it for that. This is a great idea here. Now, this morning we talked, or we listened to, uh, Alan Larson from your team say, we’re gonna marry that [00:06:00] performance data with CMS data. Yep. And we’re gonna be able to look at, here’s your performance drop. Here’s what your CMS data is saying, and get real insights out of it.

And it sounds. To me, like I don’t know any other solution that’s never been done in the industry before.

Allen Hall: No, and and I think to your earlier point, it starts with that baseline and that health record and to be able to see, we’ve all been in the industry for some time now, and the level of maturity, even just year over year, we finally start to see it.

Right. And so another thing they brought up this morning was even just. Uh, preventative inspection programs. Years ago, it was, you know, maybe we’ll do 25, 30% of the fleet each year. And then after four or five years, we inspected everything. Well, it’s, it’s not that simple, right? There’s different makes and models, different risk tolerances.

Mm-hmm. And the arrangements with third parties is, is different. So, um, it’s, it’s kind of that intake valve and having all that data in, in one place. And, uh, fortunately we’re seeing most of the operators have taken big, big leaps over the course of the [00:07:00] last couple years to have all that data in, in one place.

And then from there it’s like, okay, how do I start to see trends. Across main components and optimize the repair windows. And now it’s about the fine tuning. And I think we’re getting there as, as an industry. And that’s why we, that’s one of the things we talked about. We’re excited about jumping into the solar and battery battery storage space.

’cause our customers said, Hey, a lot of these problems that we saw in wind and what you guys solved in blades and drivetrain, solar’s been in hypergrowth mode. We’ve done a lot of inspections, but data’s everywhere. Help us solve that problem.

Joel Saxum: Let’s pause there for a second. That’s a huge announcement.

Let’s do that announcement here.

Allen Hall: Yeah. So here, that’s what we announced now this morning, so we’ll, we’ll definitely have, have, uh, have, have more information very, very soon, soon on. Um, things have been moving, moving fast over the course of the last, last few months, but the reason why we’re, we’re diving into it is because, um, really we’ve al always been about following our customers and [00:08:00] helping them solve their, their biggest problems.

And we’re starting to hear, uh, that they want to bring the playbook. From wind, from wind o and m into, into solar. Um, again, earlier we were talking about how SCADA teams are not just looking at wind data. Mm-hmm. It’s across all their generating assets. And having one place for all that data is, is very, very important.

And I think where we can help our customers is getting all that data into one place and going from. Data capture to work order in whatever system that you have. It could be an ERP system, it could be, it could be in horizon, but there absolutely is a, is a need in that, in that space and we think we can really help out.

Joel Saxum: Yeah. Listening to the, uh, new, new Sky spec, C-C-E-C-T-O this morning, Ben Toan, he was talking about some of the architecture moves that you guys are making in the background to be able to make that, I don’t want, I don’t wanna simplify it, this, this far, but the copy paste of the wind playbook. Two Solar makes, it makes it easier for the future of if expanding [00:09:00]into other silos, doing more things, uh, making that platform.

One login. We can manage all of our assets and um, and do it the same way. Right. So as you guys have expanded in the last few years with. Inspections, tech enabled insights from the, the, the SMEs that are here, um, into the, using the digitalization tools and the qa qc process. We talked a bunch about that and, and your repair vendor management yesterday.

Yep. But being able to take all of those things that you guys have perfected and built over the years and wind. And boom, immediately be able to deploy that into solar. That’s gonna be a game changer for some people.

Allen Hall: Yeah, we’re, we’re super excited about it. And, and that’s what, so Ben Tor, who’s our, our new Chief Technology Officer is, talks a lot about a, a common data model and being able to, as we, as we start to scale.

It’s not just about a, a blade or a drivetrain gearbox, it’s, it’s about more, more than that. And being able to put in the solar data, whether it’s the panels, inverters, combiner boxes, and that ex expands further, right? And the battery storage and [00:10:00] other power generating assets. And I think that’s where we can, we can really help out.

So it’s kind of taking a step back a bit and thinking about, okay, how do we think about that model holistically, mm-hmm. Across renewable, uh, renewable assets. So excited for it. But again, don’t wanna get too far out over our skis here. So the first, first step is, is solar and, and working in partnership with our, with our customers on that.

And I think it’s big because a lot of the engineers we’ve been working with for the last several years that have been primarily wind focused, blade focused. Yeah. When you talk to them today. They’ll say, oh yeah, and I have a solar site that I’m now responsible for. Mm-hmm. And so they’re trying to learn the solar aspects pretty quickly, but staying in the same platform is huge because it reduces the cycle, learning cycle Yeah.

By quite a bit.

Joel Saxum: Yeah. I, we, and this is a, a, we’re gonna make a, well, let’s make a side announcement. Yeah. We just added another team member to the weather guard team. I hear you. You’ll hear more about that here in the next, in the coming weeks. But, uh, she came from a team that managed wind solar. And [00:11:00] battery storage with the same engineering group.

Right. And I think that that, like you said, is becoming onshore and offshore. Mm-hmm. It is becoming more and more common. Right. So you’re seeing that be engineering resource. We always talk about the shortage of technicians. Mm-hmm. But there’s a shortage of engineers and it’s shrinking in a lot of pools.

Yep. Right. There’s a lot of people who, one big beautiful deal thing, trying to cut budgets, changing operating models. So engineers are being asked to do more. The more with less thing, right? Yep. They’re being asked to do more with less. Well, how do you do that? You don’t do that by using spreadsheets. You do it by using a, a common tool set with the architecture that works together in something, you know, and one place that you can manage all these things.

Allen Hall: Oh, yeah. It’s the only way to do it. And as we go forward over the next year, what I’m really interested in is what new concepts, ideas, platform updates. They get implemented by the operators because you, you always come out every year. Mm-hmm. We talk to Sky Specs and we, we see all the new things that happen and then we wait for the, the feedback and then we get to the customer [00:12:00] forum.

You see what they just used over the last year, they’re gonna be more hungry for more data than ever before. Mm-hmm. Even though they may be a little bit on a reduced staff. So that puts a big onus and burden onto Skys specs to not just provide data. Well, here’s all the drone images. No, we need to be able to give you insights as to what is happening and what I should be doing about it.

That’s the benefit of being with Skys specs. Yeah. I, I think, I think that’s huge. Right. And definitely there’s always a, a call to move faster and faster. Yeah. Because there’s, there’s a lot of challenges. A year ago, we were sitting in this room and we talked a lot about internal inspections, and we were on a journey.

Ingesting that third party ingest, uh, data, but customers are like, Hey, it’d be really great if you had a robot for that too. Yeah. So, and now it’s sitting right out here’s sitting out there and our robots are very busy. So, yeah. Um, it’s, it’s, it’s stuff like that where it’s, it’s continuing to get that feedback.

We get it at forums like, like this. Right. And, um, for us too, especially as we get into those other spaces like doing. An [00:13:00] external drone inspection of a blade is just one piece of the puzzle, right? There’s a lot of other data streams that are critically important, and even it’s especially important in solar when there’s different data capture methods.

And again, our big focus is gonna be on that JE ingestion. Mm-hmm. And getting all that data into, into one place. Um, maybe in some cases we’ll do the data capture, but customers are sitting on a ton of data already. Right. And so it’s helping them digitize it, get it into that common data model, and then connect it to their work order system.

That is key. And there’s a lot of automation and rules that kind of go in to trigger the optimization. And that’s where I think we’re, we’re good at. And some of our customers have seen that success and wind and that value case. And that’s what it’s about for, for, for solar. So it’s an exciting, exciting time.

I’m gonna put you on,

on

Joel Saxum: the hook here. Okay.

Allen Hall: All right. So

Joel Saxum: our producer Claire, make a short outta this. We’re gonna put it on LinkedIn. Okay. This morning we heard and we saw a slide and some promises that said, expect transparency from skys specs. [00:14:00] So we’re here talking about all kinds of awesome developments.

Yep. A lot of things happening. Probably the most active product roadmap I think that I’ve seen at Skys specs. Mm-hmm. In since I’ve been around wind. Right. So. Expect more information. Q4, Q1, 26. Things rolling out. Um, you know, the, the, the jump into solar, some more CMS things, some the financial asset modeling.

Expect to hear more about that.

Josh Goryl: Mm-hmm.

Joel Saxum: Um, a repair vendor management, possibly moving into other components than just blades. Like there’s going to be a lot of announcements and the transparency promise, we got it this morning. Yep. We’re recording it now.

Allen Hall: Yeah, yeah. Well, you, you got it here, but I will say I have to leave some, uh, some stuff for the audience so they come, set out calls and do all that.

But yeah, to your, to your point, we’re super thrilled for what’s, what’s, what’s ahead. Um, so Alan, Alan Larson, who leads, leads product here, he had a, he a great presentation on some of the things that we’re gonna, we’re gonna be doing and you, we hit [00:15:00] on a lot of them. So solar. We have a, we have a POC now, uh, working with, with customers all already.

So we’ll see more of that in in 2026. Uh, thrilled to continue to work closer and closer with you guys at, at Weather Guard and a logic ping. And on the lightning stuff we’re going deeper and deeper into a lot of these lightning work workflows. It’s a big problem, right? Big, big problem, right? You, you guys know more than more than anyone.

And so bringing all that data into the horizon platform is, is, is, is key. So we’re, we’re, we’re thrilled about that. And then I think what’s also important is that we continue to do and improve what we’re good at. So even on the, the inspection side, I think there’s a lot that we can do in collaboration with customers to optimize those workflows.

So there’s a lot less kind of human in the loop, uh, because we have to continue to, to scale. And, um, we have amazing SMEs in this, in this industry, and it’s helping empower them to do, to do more. There is a [00:16:00] lot more inspection data than anyone could have ever imagined at this, at this point. And as an industry and as a company, we’ve gotten very good at, uh, moving faster, but it’s continuing to, to optimize and use AI and different tools.

Tools like that. Yeah. And I wanna talk about the AI. This, uh, improvements that have been made over the last year. There was a presentation yesterday talking about how to use AI to suss out images to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for mm-hmm. On repairs. That was a monumental task, just listening to the engineering discussion of what it took to do that analysis.

How much AI comes in in 20, late 20, 25 into 26. Is that where the industry is headed? Because. Of the mass, massive amounts of data from every turbine. The images are so much better than they were three years ago, and they’re just, we’re taking more pictures. We’re doing it quarterly. Mm-hmm. So a yearly, or we’re not doing a third of the farm, we’re doing the whole farm year and the repair reports.

That was the big thing. Yeah. And the repair reports u the PDFs for ai. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So the, the, the data stream comes in and it’s, it’s huge. Are [00:17:00] you then thinking more AI over the next couple years, just so we can get that condensed data set down? No question. And in all areas we have to, and I think every organization is thinking about their Ai, AI strategy.

And, and for us it’s, it’s kind of going back to first principles and thinking on a workflow level. Right, and so there was a use case yesterday where we were talking about okay, reviewing images a lot more efficiently from the field. There’s thousands of PDF reports from rep from repair reports that our customers are trying to digitize.

How do we use AI to to do that? So we see those improvement. It feels like every couple weeks there’s something new that helps our team. And we’re trying to put more of those tools in the hands of our, our customer, but customers. But that is, um, one of the key pillars of our, of our strategy because we know we need it.

We know our customers need it, and how do we do that to together? So. What I will say, it’s not just AI that spits out the, an the right answer every single time. Right. Right. We, we always have, have, have work to [00:18:00] do, but we kind of think about it on a, on a workflow level and, and, um, how does it help us and everything we do every, every day.

Joel Saxum: Hmm. And the addition of Ben Torquing to the team is, is gonna spur that along. We, we heard from him this morning, man. That guy’s got it going on.

Allen Hall: Oh yeah, Ben, Ben, Ben has been fantastic. So Ben, uh, has been with us for about two months now. He’s our new Chief tech technology officer, and he is an AI background, uh, enterprise architecture background.

So that’s one of the other areas too, even outside of e uh, AI is being able to integrate to other third party platforms. We deal with utilities and IPPs. There’s a lot of big systems and being able to do that in a flexible way. That’s, that’s quick. Um, and, and works best for, for both sides. We know it’s not realistic that every single person every day is working in horizon.

Um, but it’s getting all that engineering and asset management data into the, into the right hands and doing that through some of these third party connections. So another area [00:19:00] where we’re gonna continue to, to level up and, and grow as an organization. So if you’re an asset manager and you are not using Skys specs, I don’t even know who that would be today.

But if you’re an engineer, you’re not actively on the Horizon platform and or if you’re on the Horizon platform and you wanna learn all the things that you missed this week. Yeah. How do they get ahold of you, Josh, to get the update? Yeah, I would say, um, I’m definitely gonna, I’ll leave my kind of contact information behind.

You can contact me directly. Always our sales teams. We have a sales@skysspecsdot.com, that goes to all of our account account executives and our technical sales manager. So depending on the, the area of need, we’d be happy to kinda set up, even if it’s just a discovery call and, um, with no agenda to kind of help and assess.

What you have, have going on, and I’m sure there’s areas where we can, we can help and yeah, if you have solar assets, you better be calling Skys picks now and getting that turned on. That’s right. Yeah. We’re, we’re super, super excited. And I think too, like we’re, we’re in it to, to learn and we know everyone has a different [00:20:00] operating strategy and may think about, uh, the world a little bit differently.

And so it’s important that we, we kind of take a step back and, and learn from you all. So we’ve kind of always taken that, taken that approach. And we can move fast too. Josh, you love having you on the podcast and love being at the customer forums. They’re very, yeah. Thanks for the invite. Uh, yeah, they’re eye-opening every single time and, uh, we get to talk to so many people.

So, Josh, thank you so much for inviting us and, and thanks so much for being on the podcast. No, the thing I’ll say too is, I, I can’t thank the two of you and, and Claire enough and just kind of the, the level of support and engagement and you guys have really helped level up our forum the last couple years.

So it means a, means a ton.

Joel Saxum: Thanks. Appreciate it.

https://weatherguardwind.com/skyspecs-customer-forum/

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