Anza expands solar module ranking, procurement capabilities

Solar module procurement is complex, and all of the efforts of the United States government to clean up the supply chain and incentivize more domestic manufacturing, has only added to that immense complexity. This is why we put the spotlight on Anza in our Q1 2023 magazine. Spun out of Borrego, Anza is a solar module and energy storage procurement platform that allows EPCs, developers and IPPs to tap into that engineering expertise and calculate all of the PV purchasing complexity.

This ranking (generated within seconds) is displayed in a sortable table that includes specs like Wattage, price per Watt, etc. — including a calculation of net present value (NPV). Anza also includes PAN file analysis for every module and has answers regarding wafer and polysilicon suppliers and third-party audits.

“Most buyers know how to figure out what module is best for their project or portfolio, but most don’t have the time or the internal engineers or estimating capabilities to do so,” says Aaron Hall, president of Anza. “They have a general financing model that works well, but what goes into that? This is the stuff we have done for years as part of our development projects and EPC estimating. You need to understand the BOS cost impact of your module selection decision. How will it affect labor, dc electrical and string sizes? Efficiency impacts things like module form factor and CapEx components. All of these things have real impacts.”

Anza makes its design and procurement calculations rapidly for each project’s specific requirements. It offers buyers a way to instantly and easily compare and rank equipment based on a slate of customizable, stackable filters to best fit their specific project’s needs.

Since its launch, the company has seen over 100% year-over-year growth, and its platform has facilitated the assessment of more than 25 gigawatts of solar and 60 gigawatt-hours across over 650 projects to date.

Fast forward a year, and Anza is rolling out expanded capabilities that give buyers the ability to instantly organize and rank every technical, commercial, supply chain, and risk-related aspect of equipment required to select the ideal modules for solar projects.

“We find ourselves at a pivotal moment as solar industry growth, project deployments and technology improvements are all accelerating,” Hall says. “Procurement professionals have to navigate a vast field of module options, and without access to real-time data to evaluate risk and other key factors, they are left having to make critical multi-million dollar decisions with limited information. This is compounded by increasingly prevalent trade and import risks, which can derail project schedules and negatively impact the bottom line. With Anza, buyers have the data and tools needed to confidently and comprehensively navigate these risks and gain valuable insights into suppliers’ products, supply chains, and more.”

Anza’s new platform features include:

• Availability of backend data and analytics so buyers can efficiently filter a market-wide view of options based on what they genuinely need and care about, including product price, size, performance in extreme weather, supply-chain factors (ex., UFLPA, AD/CVD), technical specifications, third-party traceability audits, payment terms, counterparty risk, and more.
• Access to financial and basic technical and risk criteria, with advanced technical and risk-related data available to Anza customers.
• Proprietary Effective Dollars per Watt calculations to assess the lifetime value of solar projects that take into account production and installation cost differences.

“The Anza platform allowed us to quickly narrow down our solar module options,” says Brian Kirk, Principal, Alluvial Power. “We were able to easily identify equipment that met our rigorous supply chain and technical standards while significantly beating our internal price goal. Using the Anza platform coupled with the Anza team’s deep experience gave us comfort that we had immediate access to a comprehensive view of the dynamic module market and allowed us to transact confidently and efficiently.”

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/news/anza-expands-solar-module-ranking-procurement-capabilities/]