Article provided by Solarig, and written by Mariano Martínez Larcuen, Country Manager, Solarig Australia & Energy Services Director at APAC
When people think of Operations and Maintenance (O&M), the first image that often comes to mind is of hands-on, on-site work: repairing components, replacing parts, managing vegetation, and keeping as much capacity online as possible. Yet behind this visible side lies another equally decisive dimension — the intelligent management of data.
In the background, O&M teams continuously analyse real-time information, manage alarms, and translate technical data from Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems into physical actions. A professional O&M provider must not only perform these actions but also record, classify, and review them, turning massive volumes of data into actionable insights that optimise processes and ensure compliance with technical and contractual requirements.
Organising a global conundrum
Complexity grows as portfolios expand — in size, geography, or technology, such as adding wind farms or battery storage (BESS). Each new site introduces different sensors, naming conventions… creating heterogeneous data sources that can lead to errors or unreliable performance reports. Recording field activities adds another layer of difficulty: limited connectivity, language barriers, or inadequate digital tools. All these factors create a real conundrum, due to the extremely complex data landscape. Information flows simultaneously from dozens of sites, each with its own particularities, that need to be managed through the right tools and deep technical understanding.
The right tools
Solarig, one of the largest O&M operator, manages 15 gigawatts (GW) across 12 countries and four continents. Every day, we face the challenge of turning raw data into usable intelligence. To tackle this, the company has developed in-house tools capable of cleaning and transforming millions of data points into clear, interpretable indicators.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning play a crucial role: algorithms trained on historical data detect patterns, deviations, and anomalies, enabling a shift from reactive to predictive maintenance. This reduces downtime and costs while extending the lifespan of assets.
But detection is only the first step. A well-trained Control Centre operating 24/7 in Mexico, Spain and Australia coordinates alarms, prioritises incidents, and communicates with field teams and clients, ensuring quick resolution. The information that flows back from the sites continuously improves the algorithms and fine-tunes the operational model.
The technological backbone: CMMS
To capture and leverage all this information, a robust digital infrastructure is essential. Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) record actions, root causes, and repair times — but only if standardised across the entire fleet. Many off-the-shelf solutions fail to reflect the specific needs of renewable energy operations, limiting traceability and insight.
Solarig’s internally developed CMMS integrates directly with SCADA data, allowing comparisons across manufacturers, analysis of response times, and benchmarking of equipment performance under different conditions. With accurate, consistent data, the company can anticipate failures, design preventive strategies, and deliver precise reports to clients.
When data is captured and validated correctly, it becomes decision-making fuel: an inverter failure is detected sooner, fixed faster, and the resulting information feeds back into the system, continuously improving performance.
Data intelligence and Australia’s renewable transformation
This data-driven O&M model has proven particularly valuable in Australia, where the energy transition is accelerating rapidly. In 2024, renewable sources generated 40 per cent of the country’s electricity — more than 97 terawatt-hours (TWh) — and new investments reached AUD 9 billion, the highest figure since 2018.
Battery storage deployment has also been impressive: by the end of 2024, 38 large-scale batteries were under construction, adding 8.7 GW / 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new capacity. According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, in the second quarter of 2025 variable renewable generation reached 38% of total electricity supply, while battery discharges grew 119 per cent year-on-year.
Managing such a decentralised, weather-dependent grid demands digital precision and operational consistency — exactly the challenge addressed by Solarig’s integrated platform, Custodian.
Custodian: Turning data into decisions
Developed entirely in-house, Custodian combines data analytics, artificial intelligence assisted diagnostics, and CMMS capabilities into a single, integrated platform. It currently manages around 15 GW of assets across 12 countries — from Japan to Chile and Australia — unifying multiple SCADA sources, standardizing records, and automatically generating work orders.
By developing its own software, Solarig reduced the cost of third-party licenses and tailored the system specifically for renewable energy operations. Custodian connects data analysis with real-time field operations, ensuring that information is reliable, filtered, and immediately actionable.
A dedicated analytics and development team validates data, while field technicians, trained under standardised internal procedures, ensure consistency and quality across all geographies. This integration enables meaningful benchmarking of components, identification of recurring failure patterns, and preventive decision-making that improves efficiency and reduces operational expenditure.
In an energy system evolving at record speed, data is becoming the most valuable resource for ensuring reliability and competitiveness.
The value of data
Managing information across large, diverse renewable portfolios is one of the greatest challenges modern O&M providers face. Success depends on the ability to standardise, process, and connect technical and operational data — to turn it into faster decisions, better insights, and continuous improvement.
For Solarig, mastering data is now as critical as mastering technology itself. The company’s experience demonstrates that the future of maintenance lies not only in the work done on-site, but in the ability to convert information into knowledge, and knowledge into action.
In Australia’s renewable transformation — and in the global energy transition — this digital intelligence is what ensures that clean energy is also reliable, efficient, and competitive.