Seattle solar asset manager Omnidian hits 10 years and 6 GW

Mark Liffmann, chief executive officer of Seattle-based solar asset manager Omnidian, sat down to mark 10 years in business for a company that now manages greater than 6 GW of solar assets and 3 GWh of battery energy storage systems across the United States and Australia. Back in 2016, following the expansion of the Section 25D tax credit, early residential solar giants like SolarCity and SunPower tracked their massive portfolios on simple spreadsheets. Liffmann saw that those companies focused only on new sales rather than long-term asset management. He co-founded Omnidian with Dave Kenny and Ray Szylko to build software and support systems that would outlast the original installers. That focus allowed Omnidian to take on more than 100,000 orphaned systems whose original builders no longer exist. "We set out from the beginning to build something that will last, that can accompany these long-lived assets and keep them working for asset owners," Liffmann said. Today, the firm oversees residential systems as small as 2 kW alongside massive behind-the-meter installations reaching 23 MW. To kick off its second decade, the company is rolling out a new commercial battery energy storage system offering. This new product provides an end-to-end technical asset management solution featuring financial reporting and operations and maintenance built specifically for corporate owners, developers, independent power producers, and investors. Over a decade of operations, the company has accumulated performance data totaling more than 1.7 million asset years. Liffmann explains that this massive data pool helps engineers run better remote diagnostics, preventing unnecessary truck rolls or ensuring repair crews bring the right parts the first time. The firm also shares failure rate data with clients to help them choose better hardware for future builds. Liffmann noted that AC hardware reliability in the commercial and community solar space has declined recently, creating long repair delays when entire sites go down. As you build or invest in commercial solar and storage assets, choosing experienced long-term management can protect your capital and keep your systems generating power instead of repair bills.