Illuminated: Self-servicing solar
We keep hearing how valuable it would be to instantly evaluate the solar monetization potential for any address. Building owners want to easily assess the untapped economic value in properties they already own or might acquire, and determine where to further invest their time with confidence. That’s why this edition of Illuminated focuses on making it easier to spot opportunities to profit from clean energy. We share takeaways from IMN’s ESG Decarbonization meeting, where leaders emphasized that decarbonization isn’t just about sustainability—it can boost asset value and energy security. We also spotlight community solar’s rapid growth in GRESB’s latest Insights issue, and introduce new Lumen platform updates like carbon pricing integration, self-service site creation, and instant energy data processing.
Today utilities across the US are unveiling accelerated spending plans to meet forecasted power demand from AI. These new costs will result in more expensive utility rates. Meanwhile, solar and batteries keep getting cheaper and more powerful. These ‘plate tectonics’ make onsite clean energy a suddenly good idea for more and more properties. At Lumen, we strive to make these good ideas effortless to execute.
GRESB featured our Head of Engineering, Kerri Devine, for their December 2024 Insights Issue. In the piece, Kerri discusses the growing impact and income potential of Community Solar for building owners and tenants.
Read the full article here.
Saw you at:
Sam Runkle, our Enterprise Sales and Partnerships lead, attended the IMN ESG Decarbonization meeting in Nashville on February 2-6. Here are his top 3 takeaways:
1. Decarbonization isn’t just about sustainability—it’s about asset value, energy security, and cost efficiency.
2. A full-scale portfolio decarbonization plan isn’t necessary to take action today. The most effective owners are starting with high-impact, low-cost measures.
3. From acquisition to asset management to disposition, building owners are increasingly working with tenants to leverage utility data and zero CapEx measures use it to drive decision making.
Companies who purchase carbon offsets often make this financial decision in a vacuum. Now they can consider the economics of onsite energy inclusive of their internal price of carbon. We're introducing carbon pricing integration into our financial models, allowing users to set custom carbon prices and apply them to 24/7 forecasted emissions. Lumen then optimizes PV and battery systems based on both offtaker savings and avoided CO₂ costs.
Read the full blog post here.
Product updates:
Self-service energy data upload
Lumen customers can now upload their own energy data for any property and receive automatic system sizing updates. Our powerful new tools allow users to upload bills, add interval data, and scale consumption without needing to wait for an expert to interpret the data. Within seconds, our platform will process historical data to predict future energy load and costs with investor-grade precision.
Self-service site creation
Users can now add any property to their portfolios in the app by simply by entering an address. Our software will then automatically look up key building metrics and generate recommended system configurations, financial outputs, and downloadable cash flow models for different financing options.
What we're reading:
Guidance on clean electricity low-income communities bonus credit program. Read more at the Federal Register
Global cost of renewables continue falling. Read more at BlombergNEF
