Solar Asset Management 2.0: Meeting O&M Challenges and Maximizing Performance

Daisy Chung Senior Manager, Technical Programs Daisy joined SEPA in 2014 and has held various roles across research, industry & strategy, operations, and engagement teams. With a research background in utility renewable energy deployment at the distribution level, she leads technical engagements to steer the industry’s energy transformation, producing industry-driven outputs. Her team specializes in fostering collaboration through SEPA’s platforms, cultivating technical and learning communities supported by practitioners.

Throughout her tenure, Daisy finds the greatest satisfaction in facilitating joint efforts among stakeholders, especially connecting electric service providers and integrators, to help advance grid evolution initiatives.

Before joining SEPA, Daisy focused on process engineering and implementation in the semiconductor industry, overseeing system start-ups, qualification, standardization, and failure and root-cause analysis. Leveraging her experience in technical knowledge transfer, she utilized Six Sigma data analytics and system monitoring strategies to enhance efficiency and drive innovation.

Daisy holds a Master of Science in International Public Affairs focusing on Energy Analysis and Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas, with dual minors in Business Foundation and Chinese Language.

Eric Daniels, Managing Director and CEO of Suncycle USA, a sister company of Suncycle GmbH founded in 2007 for the purpose of conducting field diagnostics, quality assessment, and repair of solar power plants. To date, over 3 million modules have been evaluated, using proprietary Suncycle mobile and mini-labs for in-place module inspections.

Before Suncycle USA, Mr. Daniels served as the regional president for Robert Bosch LLC’s North American solar division. There he introduced structured financing, PPAs, loan and lease products to promote solar system sales.

Prior to Bosch Solar Energy, Mr. Daniels served as Chief Technology Officer for BP Solar. In addition to managing over $100 million in solar system field inspections. He and his team developed and introduced numerous patented technologies that increased the reliability of solar modules. Many of these advances are being commercialized today.
Mr. Daniels also holds a patent for an advanced DC-microgrid Smart Home and Building architecture that integrates solar with storage, HVAC, EV charging and micro-wind generators.

Ernie Tom is a Senior Engineer at Salt River Project (SRP), a utility company, in Tempe, Arizona. Grid Modernization Services provides maintenance on its distributed PV resources. Ernie received his Bachelors of Engineering and MBA from Arizona State University. Ernie has been involved in solar maintenance since 2009 and has helped develop solar maintenance plans for off-grid and commercial scale PV systems. His current focus is to create a cost and performance benchmarking platform for utility solar stakeholders through the EUCG and its Solar Committee.