Creating a Smarter, More Secure Solar Field
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- SmartNexus
- NEXTracker solar trackers
Tech Stack
- IoT platform
- Cloud data center
- Bi-directional data pipeline
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
- Brand Awareness
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
- Cybersecurity
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- Cybersecurity Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
NEXTracker is a company that designs, manufactures, builds, and services the world's most advanced single-axis solar trackers. These smart tracking devices change the orientation of solar panels throughout the day to maximize energy capture, delivering industry-leading performance. The company is ranked as the #1 solar tracking device company in the world. NEXTracker's solar trackers are an important feature of the company's best-in-class tracking solution. The company is based in Fremont, California, and has a strategic focus on core product innovation.
The Challenge
NEXTracker, the world's leading provider of solar tracking devices, faced a challenge in establishing secure connections between its solar trackers and its cloud data center. The company's solar trackers, which adjust the orientation of solar panels throughout the day to maximize energy capture, required secure data communications. However, the time and effort required to develop an in-house device and data management solution threatened to derail primary development initiatives. The company also needed to ensure compliance with various industry standards, a task that was time-consuming and detracted from their core focus.
The Solution
To address its challenge, NEXTracker partnered with Flex and used its SmartNexus IoT platform to implement the bi-directional pipeline needed to deliver data to and from the trackers securely through the internet. This partnership allowed NEXTracker to focus on enhancing its core product while SmartNexus handled the complex secure data communications needs. SmartNexus also undertook the task of proving compliance with various industry standards on behalf of NEXTracker, streamlining the documentation process. The IoT solution's advanced command and control and over-the-air (OTA) services played a key role in NEXTracker's decision to work with Flex. The ability to install software updates and control NEXTracker's devices remotely was of tremendous value to the company and its customers.
Operational Impact
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