Privacy Policy
This policy explains what personal information we handle when you use Samphire, our solar performance monitoring portal, or when you authorise us to read data from a solar system you own or manage.
If you arrived here from an inverter manufacturer's consent screen
You are being asked to let Samphire read data from your solar system. Here is what that means in short.
We read; we do not control. We request monitoring access only — generation, device status and alerts. We do not request permission to change settings, curtail output or control any equipment.
We use it to show your organisation its own sites — performance, faults and reporting — alongside the other inverters, meters and bills we already hold for you.
You stay in control. You can withdraw the permission at any time in the manufacturer's own portal, and the data stops flowing to us.
What we collect
- Account and contact information — your name, work email address, organisation, role, and the identity provider you sign in with.
- Sign-in and session information — enough to keep you signed in and to detect misuse.
- Correspondence — what you send us by email or through the service.
- Site and energy data — generation, device status, meter readings and electricity invoices for your organisation's sites. This is mostly information about equipment and buildings rather than about people, but invoices and site records can contain names, addresses and contact details.
We do not seek sensitive information, and you should not send it to us.
How we collect it
- From you, when you are given access or when you contact us.
- From your organisation, when it asks us to set up access.
- From inverter and metering platforms, where the system owner has authorised us (see below).
- From electricity retailers and meter data, where your organisation has provided it or authorised its release.
Monitoring platform access and consent
To read data from a solar system we must be authorised by the system owner in the manufacturer's own portal. To start that process we send the owner's email address to the manufacturer so it can send them a consent request. That is a disclosure of personal information, and for some manufacturers it is a disclosure overseas — see below.
We keep a record of each authorisation, because manufacturers require us to be able to evidence it. The owner can withdraw the authorisation at any time in the manufacturer's portal.
Why we use it
- To provide and operate the portal and the reports you ask for.
- To detect faults and underperformance at your sites.
- To produce compliance and emissions reporting you have asked for.
- To support you, and to keep the service secure.
- To meet our legal obligations.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.
Who we disclose it to
- Cloud hosting — the portal and its data are hosted in Sydney, Australia.
- Our identity provider, which handles sign-in.
- Inverter and metering platform operators, to the extent needed to request and maintain authorised access.
- Professional advisers, or where required by law.
We do not disclose one client's data to another client.
Overseas disclosure
Some inverter manufacturers operate outside Australia, and authorising access necessarily involves their systems. In particular, SMA Solar Technology AG is in Germany, and the consent process described above sends the system owner's email address to SMA. Other manufacturers whose platforms we connect to may hold data in other countries.
Monitoring platforms for other inverter brands used at your sites may store data outside Australia. We will name them here as each connection is established.
Security
Access to the portal requires an account and, for most users, sign-in through your own organisation's identity provider. Credentials for monitoring platforms are held on the server and are not exposed to the portal or to users. We restrict internal access to those who need it.
No system is perfectly secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to cause serious harm, we will act in accordance with our obligations, including notifying affected people and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where required.
How long we keep it
We keep account information while you have access and for a reasonable period afterwards. We keep site and energy data for as long as we provide services to your organisation, and afterwards where we need it for reporting, record-keeping or legal reasons — historical energy data is only useful as a long series.
Cookies
The portal uses cookies that are necessary to keep you signed in. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
Access, correction and complaints
You can ask us what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or complain about how we have handled it. Write to the address below and we will respond within a reasonable time, normally 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
Changes
We may update this policy. The effective date above changes when we do.
Contact
MG Consulting (Aust) Pty Ltd, PO Box 828, Waverley NSW 2024
morgan@mgconsulting.com.au