What got Morgan Solar started as early as 2007, and what are the main operations in your portfolio?
MSI delivers solutions to the urban and utility solar sectors developed from our core expertise in light and energy modeling and analytics, IOT sensor and control systems, and optics. In urban markets, we use our software, sensors and analytics to build what is called a digital twin of buildings to model how sunlight impacts occupants in terms of heat, illumination or energy usage. We then design elegant solutions using our optics and controls platforms to address these challenges. Similarly, our utility business uses our IOT sensors and analytics to create digital twins of solar farms to isolate the factors that drive site performance, and to recommend actions that optimize that performance.
How do you go about solving these challenges, especially in urban environments?
Urban environments are a challenge because unlike remote solar farms, where lowest cost of energy is the only thing that matters, cities are full of people with complex desires: aesthetics, view, glare and comfort. These issues can quickly sink into techno jargon, so we place them all in a basket we call ‘Sunlight Management’. The key to solving these problems is being able to quickly and cost-effectively develop a range of solutions that you can present to customers, along with the trade-offs they imply for the occupants in terms of daylight, glare, offsetting your gas heating or air conditioning needs, electricity generation, etc. The second part of the solution is to have a platform of architectural solar solutions that is flexible enough to accommodate the different scenarios, tastes and budgets.
Could you give us a concrete example of such sunlight management solutions?
There is our SPOTlight platform of architectural solar products, which stands for Simple Planar Optical Technology and which can have integrated LED illumination. One project where we used this was for the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) who wanted to retrofit their headquarters to achieve net zero. This required covering the entire roof with traditional solar panels, including a large terrace balcony. The problem was that it would create a cave-like effect blocking desired daylight and reducing its value as an event hosting space.
We were able to design a solution that turned the panels on their side, to let the daylight through, and then use our optics to block the glare and bounce that light onto the turned panels. We also integrated programmable LEDs into our optics so that at night the array can change color and look like Northern Lights.
This way, they were able to enjoy the daylight they wanted, avoid the glare, set back their energy bills and achieve net zero, all with a beautiful, artistic technology.
Our latest and maybe most exciting solution are SPOTlight Energy Blinds that can look however the occupants like: wood, fabric, stone, etc. Because they are on the inside of the building, the cost point is very different, making it more easily applied to retrofits, high rises, and or even individual offices.
What particular problems are your IV DAQ and Analytics Portal solution addressing?
Solar farm operators face a Catch 22. The projects are complex machines where the energy generated is the outcome of millions of interacting elements. Despite big strides in the last decade, the data coming from these projects is still noisy, meaning that a significant percentage of why a solar farm is performing the way it is remains uncertain. Traditionally, getting better data from the solar panels was cost prohibitive leaving problems undiagnosed and untreated, design improvements unrecognized and not embraced, lending rates higher than they would be, and the list goes on.
Our solution to this was to create something akin to a heart monitor for solar panels. Using analytics and a handful of sensors for every few thousand solar panels, we provide a continuous stream of data on how well are the panels performing; how well they could perform and how well they should perform given the specifications of that model. We merge this along with other data from the project and deliver actionable insights and reports to customers through an online Analytics Portal.
Looking forward, we will be able to mine this rich dataset, made up of all different combinations of technologies, geographies, weather conditions, for applications that go well beyond individual projects. From procurement to financing decisions, superior data will always be the key to maximizing value.
What is your geographical presence currently?
We are based in Toronto, Ontario, and our sales are currently focused on the USA and Canada. That said, there is nothing about our products that limits their appeal to North America and if anything we see even bigger potential in Europe and Asia, especially in the Urban Sector.
How can the solar industry be sustained to further evolve in the renewables market?
It depends on the sector. In the utility sector, competitive pressures along the value chain drive constant technological innovation. This in turn runs into the challenge of new technology adoption in markets where the risk is taken up front and pays off over 30 years. To continue evolving aggressively to meet our climate change targets, we will need to make sure that the best data informs our decisions about what works and what does not.
In the urban sector, it will be about finding solutions that respect the complex desires of city dwellers, who both want to do good from a climate change perspective, but also want to live in beautiful surroundings. This requires expanding the concept of the solar industry to more than black rectangles on rooftops to include solutions that are in your home or office, and that reduce energy demand in addition to generating energy.
