Lium Launches Satellite Tracking for Utility Scale Solar as Inflation Reduction Act Takes Effect

AUSTIN, Texas, August 16, 2022 (Newswire.com) - Lium LLC, an energy market research firm for institutional users, today announced the launch of a new data product for tracking utility scale solar projects called solarSAT™.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will drastically change the solar energy landscape. Coinciding with this revolutionary government action, Lium's new intelligence product tracks in real-time the development of every large-scale U.S. solar project through satellite imagery.

In addition to industrywide intelligence, investors and corporate management teams can use this product to drill down on each large-scale solar project in development. Project-specific data includes groundbreaking dates (firstDIRT™), panel deliveries, installation, market share, completion progress, and other milestones.

"As an alternative to anecdotes, lagging data, and guesswork, our data science team developed solarSAT™ to digest thousands of satellite images on hundreds of project locations," said Daniel Cruise, Partner at Lium Research. "With this product, we are hoping to change the way participants make investment decisions in solar."

Lium solarSAT™ data is aggregated into various datasets and monthly summary products. For the first time, investors can access real-time, carpet-level intelligence on solar growth instead of imperfect information.

"Early users of solarSAT™ are enjoying higher conviction on their market theses, gaining business development advantages, and are surprised less often. They know what's coming and from who and where before the rest of the market thanks to this product," continued Daniel Cruise.

A launch report including key findings from the first data release is available at https://lium.com/solarsat-launch-leading-indicator-for-u-s-utility-scale-solar-activity/. Several key takeaways include:

• firstDIRT™ Much Better Than Feared… As part of the solarSAT™ product, Lium has built specific capabilities to track exactly when each project begins construction or 'turns dirt', also called firstDIRT™. Based on this data, new activity has been much stronger than generally thought among the industry.
• ...But Panel Installations Still Dragging. Tracking actual panel deliveries at the site, Lium satellite data is consistent with anecdotes and panel imports suggesting lower installation activity. Using that data, roughly 30% fewer panels were installed this month versus a year ago.
• July Projects Under Construction > 19 GWac. According to solarSAT™ data, Lium counts 19-20 GWac of projects under construction at the end of July, up 25% from a year ago. Of this, 10 GWac has yet to receive any panels.

Lium has introduced three solarSAT™ databases that will be regularly updated for clients going forward: 

• solarSAT™ Summary Data
• solarSAT™ Status Detail
• firstDIRT™ Monthly Update

To learn more, register at www.lium.com and Lium will contact potential members with more details. This product is designed for institutional investors and corporate management.

About Lium, LLC: Founded in 2015, Lium is an independent energy intelligence firm for institutional users. Lium's research process starts with big data and incorporates human experience and field-level observations to create flexible research products. www.lium.com.

Inquiries:
David Cheng
[email protected]

Source: Lium LLC