For energy and utility companies, solar energy is a viable alternative as a renewable energy source. However, this transition has its share of complexities, with concerns ranging from solar roof compatibility and potential energy output to return on investment (ROI).
Onix’s AI-powered solar assistant can address and simplify this transition, along with its built-in convenience, cost savings, and quick cost estimates. Here’s a detailed look at how an AI-powered solar assistant can deliver value for energy companies.
Checking compatibility using site suitability analysis
Among the initial challenges in adopting solar installations is determining if the selected site (or specifically the roof) is suitable for solar panels. Onix’s solar assistant can perform a solar site suitability analysis to check the compatibility. All it needs is to process site evaluation images to provide immediate feedback on its compatibility.
The AI-powered assistant provides a summary of the image analysis along with a suitability rating and a confidence score. The suitability rating can be either of the following:
- “Positive factors” include visual elements like:
- Large, unobstructed roof area
- Exposure to sunlight
- High-quality condition of the used roof material
- Appropriate roof slope (or angle)
- “Negative factors” include visual elements like:
- Complex (or non-standard) roof geometry
- Presence of sunlight blockers like chimneys, dormers, and vents
By providing an immediate assessment, the solar assistant can deliver both convenience and time efficiency. Solar panel experts no longer need to spend their initial time and efforts on site visits to check the viability of any roof. The overall assessment time can be completed in a single day (on average), along with actionable steps to be performed next. For instance, if this AI tool reports a negative factor as “complex roof geometry and potential shading from dormers,” it can also provide an actionable step (or recommendation) as “further assessment is needed.”
Through this analysis, companies can accelerate the assessment phase to an average of just one day.
Unlocking cost savings and solar performance
With an AI-powered solar assistant, companies can maximize their ROI and cost savings in the long run. Besides cost efficiency, they can also leverage AI-powered optimization to increase their energy production and proactive maintenance support.
Here are some of the ways this AI-powered solar assistant can unlock cost savings and solar performance:
- Optimizing the energy production
Solar energy panels are heavily dependent on weather conditions, including sunlight. With this solar assistant, companies can accurately predict and optimize power generation. AI agents used for “energy production analysis and performance optimization” can proactively analyze production metrics and optimize the performance of solar panels by addressing bottlenecks with the right strategy. - Optimizing predictive maintenance
Solar equipment failures can directly impact the overall performance. This AI-enabled solar assistant can analyze real-time equipment data to predict any potential failures (if any). Through optimized predictive maintenance, companies can proactively schedule their maintenance operations, thus minimizing downtime.
This can lead to a reduction in operational costs by minimizing costly and unnecessary repairs. The “maintenance planning” agent in this assistant can enhance preventive maintenance by continuously analyzing the maintenance history. - Reducing operational expenses
Besides energy production and maintenance, Onix’s solar assistant can streamline the overall solar panel installation process at the selected site. This is achieved by managing the installation schedule, allocating the necessary resources, and performing quality control. This activity can go a long way in reducing operational expenses.
Effectively, this solar assistant tool can automate end-to-end panel installation, right from the initial site inspection to the final commissioning, which can be both complicated and time-consuming when done manually. The average solar installation time can be reduced to just 4 days. - Improving the decision-making process
With its actionable insights and recommendations, the solar assistant tool can empower solar operators with the right decision-making abilities. They can improve their decisions related to equipment maintenance, panel upgrades, and future investments. With the “ROI Calculator” agent, utility companies can accurately calculate the ROI by extracting data related to the customer’s utility rate, thus highlighting its financial benefits. - Tracking the performance of solar panels
Through real-time monitoring, this AI-enabled solar assistant can track energy production, along with assessing the overall health of each solar panel and the overall portfolio.
How Onix can assist with its AI/ML capabilities
With its sophisticated expertise in AI and ML solutions, Onix is powering this solar assistant by using Vertex AI as its backbone. The solar assistant tool leverages the best of Google Cloud technologies, including:
- Google Gemini 2.0 Flash LLM (for Generative AI)
- Vision AI (for advanced image analysis)
- Document AI
Onix’s solar assistant tool operates using an intelligent network of AI agents, which are broadly classified into the following three types of agents:
- Insight agents are used to analyze data and generate valuable insights. For example, energy production analysis, system monitoring, weather impact analyzer, customer needs analyzer, and ROI calculator.
- Action agents are used to process these insights and perform specific actions within the workflow. For example, performance optimization, panel quality verification, solar installation planning, and energy storage planning.
- Orchestrator agents are used to manage the overall flow of these processes, thus ensuring a seamless operation. These agents can continuously monitor, analyze, and optimize solar energy operations.
Conclusion
With this AI-powered solar assistant tool, Onix is equipping energy and utility companies with the right solution to transition to solar energy. Companies can leverage Onix’s AI and ML solutions to achieve their clean energy goals. Contact our professional team to know more about this solution.
