Manage your solar energy and save

Homeowners

Accelerate your solar system payback
Save more than $450/yr* by making use of your solar generated energy.
Real-time household and solar energy monitoring
Move away from fossil fuels. The SolarOp system lets you heat your hot water with your own Solar electricity.

* Estimated savings based on typical US hot water consumption. May differ depending on your electric rates.

Installers / OEMs

Break into new markets by improving your customers payback and increasing their system generation value.
Add more than 5kWh of energy capacity to off-grid systems, while providing the comfort of hot water without the use of fossil fuels.
Improve the ROI of solar PV systems in areas where feed-in tariffs are lower than consumption tariffs.
Load-shed to simplify whole-house battery backup systems

The SolarOp module

The SolarOp energy manager is a key component of the SolarOp system. Cloud connected, it performs real-time energy monitoring and management.

Environmental savings

See how much you can reduce your CO₂ emissions when switching from gas to solar with the SolarOp system

How it works

The SolarOp system manages hot water energy consumption to save energy and money. Here is an example of a typical day with and without the SolarOp system.

Sunrise to Noon

Solar generation begins as the sun rises. During this phase the SolarOp system is able to heat hot water with energy that would previously have been exported to the grid.

A. The SolarOp system redirects energy to heat hot water.

B. Solar generated energy is exported to the power grid for credit.

Noon to Sunset

The SolarOp system has heated the hot water tank to its maximum temperature. Excess energy is now exported to the grid for credit.

A. The hot water tank is heated to its maximum temperature.

B. Solar generated energy continues to be exported to the power grid for credit.

Sunset to Night

During the evening hot water is consumed for showers, baths, and laundry. This lowers the water temperature in the hot water tank.

A. The SolarOp system heated the water beyond its normal temperature , this provides additional hot water capacity.

B. The regular tank temperature falls below its set point and the tank begins heating.

Night to Sunrise

During the night there is no solar generation and little or no hot water consumption.

A. The SolarOp system conserves energy by monitoring the tank temperature, only heating the tank if it falls below a predefined lower limit.

B. The regular tank heats back up to its set point, consuming energy.

Summary

The SolarOp system produced a net generation of 15 credits while providing hot water throughout the evening.
The non-SolarOp system purchased energy at a higher rate resulting in a net cost of 60 credits.
SolarOp reduces energy consumption each day, resulting in savings of more than $450/yr^*

^* – In typical cases. Heavy hot water users can be expected to save more.

How much can you save?

Water heater as a thermal battery

The SolarOp system makes use of solar energy, using a hot water tank as form of thermal battery. Energy that would normally be fed back into the grid would instead be used to heat hot water. This hot water would be available for later use, such as
during the evening, reducing or eliminating the need to purchase additional electricity from the grid to
heat the water.

Solar energy flowing out from the house to the grid

If your electricity provider does not have 1:1 net metering, exported energy is often credited at a lower rate than consumed energy. The difference between the feed-in and consumption rates represents a potential cost savings.

Solar energy is diverted through the SolarOp module into the heater.

By heating hot water the energy that would normally be exported is instead used. This eliminates or reduces the amount of energy that would be purchased back at a higher rate in order to produce hot water.

Operation modes

The SolarOp system adjusts its behavior to ensure maximal energy diversion and a comfortable water temperature.

Daytime solar generation

Solar energy is redirected to your hot water heater.

Hot water heater is fully heated

Energy is exported to the grid for credit once your hot water heater is fully heated.

Cloudy or snow covered panels

The SolarOp system monitors your hot water tank temperature. If the temperature drops below a configurable limit the SolarOp system will activate the hot water heater to raise the temperature. This ensures a usable water temperature on days when there is insufficient solar generation to heat the water with solar output alone.

Features

Real-time and historical energy monitoring

The energy monitor used in the SolarOp system provides real-time and historical home energy data. A mobile app and website are available to access this information.

SolarOp cloud configuration and monitoring

The SolarOp module connects to the SolarOp cloud service. This provides:

Mobile and web access to the cloud service
Configuration and monitoring of the minimum tank temperature
SolarOp performs monitoring of your system for faults and performs diagnostics and software upgrades.

Security

Secure Wireless Interface

The SolarOp system was designed with security in mind. It supports 802.11 b/g/n and uses WPA2 Personal Security.

Interested in more info?

We are in the process of developing the SolarOp system. We would love to keep you updated on our status. Enter your email below to sign up for our mailing list.

For other questions about the SolarOp please email info@op.solar.