Solar

Batteries and Storage

Utility-Scale

Utility Scale Commercial & Industrial Solar and Storage Series

Christopher LaForge and 1 other

Course description

This a bundle of 2 courses taught by Christopher LaForge and Chris Brown:

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Course Outline #1 - Utility Scale Commercial & Industrial Solar and Storage 101

Welcome - Orientation Materials

This course is self-paced, so you don’t need to be logged in at any specific time. You can get started immediately after you enroll and the course materials will remain in your account with minimum guaranteed access for 12 months (1 year) after enrollment.

Introduction - LaForge (04:40 minutes) Preview
Introduction - Chris Brown (01:02 minutes) Preview
Course Overview (05:49 minutes)
Update for the New Website and Format (08:45 minutes)
Set up email notifications and your student profile
Introduce yourself on the discussion board

Module 1

Why Solar + Storage? (11:52 minutes)
Why Solar+Storage NOW? (07:23 minutes)
Solar + Storage 1.0 Course Overview (04:04 minutes) Preview
100% renewable energy (.pdf)
100% renewable energy part 2 (.pdf)
Companies going green
Air Pollution (.pdf)
Duck Curve Reading (.pdf)
Duck Curve Reading 2 (.pdf)
Utilities and Renewables (.pdf)
Coal Plants (.pdf)
USA Coal vs Renewables (.pdf)
Traditional Generation vs Renewables - Reading (.pdf)
Heightened focus on decarbonization likely post COVID-19 crisis (.pdf)
Why are you interested in solar and storage?
History of Solar and Storage (08:47 minutes)
Hydrocarbons (.pdf)
How Electricity is Generated (.pdf)
Photovoltaic effect (.pdf)
Basic Concepts (10:15 minutes)
Acronyms, Abbreviations and Definitions (.xlsx)
Solar ITC (.pdf)
on grid vs off grid (03:32 minutes)
on grid vs off grid
Off Grid - continued... (08:40 minutes)
In Front of Meter vs Behind the Meter (03:53 minutes)
Wiring Diagrams (.pdf)
AC vs DC Coupled (03:47 minutes)
AC vs DC (.pdf)
AC vs DC Coupled Part 1 (.pdf)
AC Vs: Dc Coupling continued... (06:56 minutes)
AC vs DC Coupled Part 2 (.pdf)
Week 1 Quiz
Week 1 wrap-up Week 2 Overview (26:10 minutes)

Module 2

Design and Specification - Solar PV Modules Part 1 (15:05 minutes)
Solar PV Modules Part 2 (15:56 minutes)
Solar PV Module Websites
Design and Specification - Mounting and attachment Part 1 (14:41 minutes)
Mounting and Attachment Part 2 (11:32 minutes)
Mounting and Attachment websites
Design and Specification - Inverters (15:04 minutes)
Huawei, Sungrow and SMA in the global inverter market (.pdf)
PCS and DC/DC Converters (03:50 minutes)
Power Conversion System Architectures (.pdf)
PCS Market from Navigant (.pdf)
DynaPower Website
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) (03:37 minutes)
Telsa (06:10 minutes)
Tesla + Green Mt (.pdf)
Tesla quietly adds bidirectional charging capability for game-changing new features
Panasonic (04:42 minutes)
Panasonic CO Project (.pdf)
LG Chem (02:40 minutes)
Sungrow-Samsung SDI (01:19 minutes)
Sungrow-Samsung SDI website
BYD
BYD Website
CATL and Powin (01:06 minutes)
CATL (.pdf)
CATL + Powin (.pdf)
ESS End of Life (.pdf)
Solar panel recycling: Turning ticking time bombs into opportunities
The Future Of Energy Storage Beyond Lithium Ion
Week 2 Quiz
Week 2 wrap-up Week 3 Overview (27:51 minutes)

Module 3

Week 3 - Technologies - Overview (03:32 minutes)
Technologies - Hydro (05:57 minutes)
Long-Duration Energy Storage (.pdf)
Technologies - Flywheel (03:53 minutes)
Technologies - Compressed Air (03:48 minutes)
Technologies - Capacitors (01:35 minutes)
Killowatt Labs
Technologies - Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) (01:39 minutes)
Technologies - Hydrogen (15:26 minutes)
America’s Largest Municipal Utility Invests in Move from Coal to Hydrogen Power (.pdf)
The Global Hydrogen Economy Fueling a Low Carbon Future
Technologies - Battery Overview (03:13 minutes)
Technologies - Lead Acid Batteries (02:46 minutes)
Lithium Ion Batteries (11:30 minutes)
Batteries for EV (.pdf)
How Lithium Polymer Batteries are Made
cylindrical vs prismatic cells
Technologies - Flow Batteries (07:12 minutes)
Technologies - Sodium-sulfur batteries (03:24 minutes)
Lithium Ion vs Pumped Hydro (.pdf)
Week 3 Quiz
Week 3 Wrap up Week 4 Overview (24:58 minutes)

Module 4

Applications and Value Streams - Solar Only (03:58 minutes) Preview
Intro to Value Stacking (05:40 minutes) Preview
The Economics of Battery Energy Storage (.pdf)
Applications and Value Streams - Residential Off Grid (09:10 minutes)
The value of resilience (.pdf)
Week 4, Applications and Value Streams Residential Grid Inter-tied - BTM (08:05 minutes)
Applications and Value Streams - C&I (12:46 minutes)
Stem's guide to Backup Power (.pdf)
Energy storage net metering: An illustration of why it’s so valuable
Stem's guide to Enterprise Energy Strategies (.pdf)
Applications and Value Streams - Utility (06:15 minutes)
Frequency Regulation
Already cheaper to install new-build battery storage than peaking plants (.pdf)
Transactive Energy Report (.pdf)
Q2 2020 updates on energy storage at utility scale
Applications and Value Streams - Micro-grids (12:44 minutes)
Microgrid Case Study Part 1 (.pdf)
Microgrid Case Study Part 2 (.pdf)
Microgrid Case Study Part 3 (.pdf)
Transmission congestion (.pdf)
Week 4 Quiz
Week 4 Wrap-up week 5 overview (23:22 minutes)

Module 5 - Week 5

Code and Compliance - Outline (08:15 minutes)
Code and Compliance (13:08 minutes)
Create your NFPA Profile account
Consider signing up with NFPA - and Sign in to the NFPA account and take the Training!
Access the "CODES & STANDARDS" page on the NFPA site.
NFPA 70 - Article 690
Article 691 - Large Scale Photovoltaic (PV) Electric Supply Systems
NFPA 70 - Article 705 - Interconnected Electrical Power Production Sources
NFPA 70 - Article 706 - Energy Storage Systems
IAEA on - ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS–NEC ARTICLE 706
NFPA 855: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems
Data monitoring and analysis (03:16 minutes)
Monitoring the systems - Data collection and analysis (11:15 minutes)
Advanced SCADA functionality helps solar operators manage the future
Stem's Athena Whitepaper (.pdf)
How AI is changing energy storage O&M
Security (02:14 minutes)
Security of operations and interfaces (SCADA) (04:43 minutes)
WORLDWIDE THREAT ASSESSMENT of the US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System (.pdf)
Programs and Policies (09:37 minutes)
Energy Storage Goals, Targets, Mandates: What’s the Di (.pdf)
Utility Duke Energy in the hot seat for perceived slow progress in clean energy (.pdf)
Duke to double renewable capacity in 5 years, but critics say utility lags on storage deployment (.pdf)
Ann Arbor’s Living Carbon Neutrality Plan (.pdf)
Business Models (07:13 minutes)
A Business model option (06:20 minutes)
Storage at 20 USD/MWh? Breaking down the lowcost solar-plus-storage PPAs in the USA (.pdf)
Renewables and electric vehicles lower-costs
Behind the numbers: The rapidly falling LCOE of battery storage (.pdf)
Grid-scale battery projects joining transmission operator-run markets in California and Texas (.pdf)
Solar and Wind Cheapest Sources of Power in Most of the World (.pdf)
Week 5 Quiz
Week 5 Wrap up & Week 6 Preview (23:16 minutes)

Module 6 - Week 6

The Capstone Project (11:22 minutes)
Capstone Project - Outline (.pdf)
Great Example #1 of Previous Student's Capstone Project (.pdf)
Great Example #2 of Previous Student's Capstone Project (.pdf)
Submit Your Capstone Project
S+S 1.0 course Conclusion and S+S 2.0 Preview (09:42 minutes)

Conclusion - Feedback and Additional Resources

This is our last module but you still have access to the all of course materials for 12 months (1 year), so keep working and you'll be able to complete the course at your own pace. After your year of access expires you can optionally extend access with a HeatSpring Membership. Enjoy the course and keep in touch!

1 Year of Access to Course Materials
Feedback: 2-minute Exit Survey
Consider Joining as a HeatSpring Member
Certificate of Completion: Request a Certificate

Course Outline #2 - Utility Scale Commercial & Industrial Solar and Storage 201

Welcome - Orientation Materials

Instructor Introduction and Key Concepts Review (09:16 minutes)
Orientation to: UTILITY SCALE COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL SOLAR AND STORAGE 201 (15:40 minutes) Preview
Update for the New Website and Format (08:45 minutes)
Set up email notifications and your student profile
Introduce yourself on the discussion board

Module 1 - Week 1

Aggregation - The Key to opening up Residential BTM Storage for Grid services (16:56 minutes)
Austin Shines introduction
Austin Shines overview
Regulatory Issues and Residential Behind The Meter(BTM) Systems (19:49 minutes)
Reading And Reference: NREL and USAID Report on BTM Regulatory Design (.pdf)
Colleague Interview: Dan Glaser (35:42 minutes)
California BTM Examples (09:19 minutes)
Additional Behind the Meter Case Studies
Biggest US Battery Build-Out Ever (.pdf)
Batteries in Solar Installations Becoming the New Norm (.pdf)
Solar-plus-storage is a ‘zero-emissions threat’ to gas-burning power plants in the US (.pdf)
Microgrids Changing Landscapes (07:39 minutes)
St. Thomas Microgrid (.pdf)
Review the announcement from the CA PUC (.pdf)
PG&E Remote Grid Option (.pdf)
Week 1 wrap-up and Week 2 Overview (15:30 minutes)
Quiz for Week 1

Module 2 - Utility Scale In Front of Meter Projects

In Front of the Meter case studies - introduction (03:57 minutes)
Metering Configurations (.pdf)
Average Electricity Prices in Hawaii (.pdf)
Hawaii Solar plus Storage projects (.pdf)
Hawaiian Electric eyes 460 MW solar, 3 GWh storage to help meet renewables goals (.pdf)
NV Energy Solar plus Storage Project (.pdf)
Colorado Solar plus Storage project (.pdf)
MA SMART Program In Front of Meter Example Market (16:55 minutes)
Massachusetts launches solar incentive (.pdf)
SMART program overview (.pdf)
MA SMART Solar website
SMART program expansion (.pdf)
Cluster Study updates (.pdf)
Land use restrictions (.pdf)
ESA comments on SMART program changes (.pdf)
New York In Front of Meter Programs (23:53 minutes)
New York Retail Energy Storage Incentive Program (.pdf)
New York Energy Storage Value Stream Reference Guide (.pdf)
Summary of Value of Distributed Energy Resources (.pdf)
Summary of Updated Value Stack Order (.pdf)
Bulk Energy Storage Incentive Program (.pdf)
Replace NYC peakers with renewables+storage? Plant owners say they're working on it (.pdf)
California In Front of Meter Value Streams (18:29 minutes)
What is Resource Adequacy (.pdf)
CAPUC RA Website
Resource Adequacy Overview from Gridworks (.pdf)
California braces for rolling outages as heatwave continues (.pdf)
California’s Shift From Natural Gas to Solar Is Playing a Role in Rolling Blackouts (.pdf)
California Doomed to Frequent Blackout Risk by Battery Shortage (.pdf)
LS Power Energizes World's Biggest Battery, Just in Time for California's Heat Wave (.pdf)
Consumers Are Playing a Big Role in Keeping the Lights On in California This Week (.pdf)
California Needs 1GW of New Long Duration Energy Storage by 2026 (.pdf)
California Could Need 55GW of Long-Duration Storage to Meet Its 2045 Carbon-Free Grid Goal (.pdf)
California will need up to 55GW of long-duration energy storage by 2045 (.pdf)
Long Duration Energy Storage (.pdf)
The First Major Long-Duration Storage Procurement Has Arrived (.pdf)
California utility SCE’s latest battery storage contracts to take company beyond 2GW mark (.pdf)
Utility IFM Midwest Developments - Summary (16:04 minutes)
Week 2 wrap-up Week 3 Overview (16:30 minutes)
Week 2 Quiz

Module 3 - Week Three

Assignments and Resources for week 3

Development Pre-planning (15:44 minutes)
Project Development (48:27 minutes)
Solar plus Storage Costs (10:05 minutes)
A Behind the Scenes Take on Lithium-ion Battery Prices (.pdf)
Battery prices have fallen 88 percent over the last decade (.pdf)
Envision Energy Says EV Battery Cell Costs Will Fall Below $50_kWh By 2025 (.pdf)
Falling US solar-plus-storage prices start to level as batteries supersize (.pdf)
Renewable Energy Costs Take Another Tumble, Making Fossil Fuels Look More Expensive Than Ever (.pdf)
Think Distributed Solar-Plus-Storage Isn’t Cost-Effective? Think Again (.pdf)
Project Finance (37:29 minutes)
Financing the Energy Transition
Climate Crisis Will Reshape Finance (.pdf)
Levelized Cost of Solar Plus Storage (.pdf)
Colleague Interview: Kay Aikin (42:01 minutes)
Week 3 wrap-up Week 4 Overview (16:14 minutes)
Week 3 Quiz

Module 4 - Week Four

Assignments and Resources for week 4

Programs and Policies (09:37 minutes)
Policy News and Updates (12:57 minutes)
The DOE Global Energy Storage Database
Massachusetts Energy Storage Policy Summary
New York Energy Storage Policy Summary
California Energy Storage Policy Summary
An emerging push for time-of-use rates sparks new debates about customer and grid impacts (.pdf)
Congress Passes Spending Bill With Solar, Wind Tax Credit Extensions and Energy R&D Package (.pdf)
The battle for control of virtual power plants is just beginning (.pdf)
‘Game-Changer’ FERC Order Opens Up Wholesale Grid Markets to Distributed Energy Resources (.pdf)
Design and Specification Overview and update for UTILITY SCALE COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL SOLAR AND STORAGE - 201 (29:10 minutes)
FERC Allows Energy Storage to Play in Nationwide Wholesale Markets (.pdf)
President Biden Names Richard Glick as FERC Chair (.pdf)
4 Big Challenges Facing FERC’s Plan to Open Up Power Markets to Distributed Energy (.pdf)
Warranties, Liquidated Damages and Performance Guarantees (08:33 minutes)
Review this Flyer on NREL's new software solution for configuring inverters quickly (.pdf)
Review this article on Autogrid's battery fleet management and aggregation... (.pdf)
Review this article from SolarWorld on: 2020 Top Solar Software and Monitoring Products
Review this article on: Siting, Permitting & Land Use for Utility-Scale Solar from SEIA
Software and Project Modeling Tools (15:27 minutes)
PVWatts Website
PVSyst
Aurora
Helioscope
Energy Toolbase
What's in your software? (.pdf)
Enjoy this brief Overview on Permitting, Code and Regulation (17:06 minutes)
Review the contents of the 2018 International Fire Code chapter 12
Examine the contents of the New York Battery Energy Storage System Guidebook. (.pdf)
Enjoy this Webinar on FERC Order 2222
Colleague Interview: Gene Bertsche (35:53 minutes)
Week 4 Wrap up - Week 5 Overview (09:56 minutes)
Week 4 Quiz

Module 5 - Week Five

Assignments and Resources for week 5

Our Presentation on Commissioning and Security (38:22 minutes)
Safety considerations During ESS Commissioning (.pdf)
Protocol for Measuring the Performance of Energy Storage Systems (.pdf)
Colleague interview: David Del Vecchio - Commissioning Large Scale PV Systems safety. (01:20:02 hours)
Department of Energy Prohibition Order for Bulk-Power System Security (.pdf)
Utility ransomware attacks becoming more sophisticated (.pdf)
Colleague interview: Steve Tessler - Forcepoint (40:05 minutes)
Fire Safety for UTILITY SCALE COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL SOLAR AND STORAGE SYSTEMS (20:39 minutes)
APS Details Cause of Battery Fire and Explosion, Proposes Safety Fixes (.pdf)
Battery Energy Storage System Incidents and Safety: A Technical Analysis by UL (.pdf)
How the Energy Storage Industry Responded to the Arizona Battery Fire (.pdf)
With new safety measures in place, APS looks to reengage with BESS (.pdf)
UL Webinar - "Risk Mitigation Strategies for Large Scale Energy Storage System Projects"
UL Webinar - "Energy Storage Systems: What You Need to Know about UL 9540 and 9540A"
Operation and Maintenance for – UTILITY SCALE COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL SOLAR AND STORAGE 201 (33:01 minutes)
Best Practices for PV and Energy Storage Operation and Maintenance (.pdf)
Week 5 Wrap-up and Week 6 Overview (17:08 minutes)
Week 5 Quiz

Module 6 - Week 6

Assignments and Resources for week 6

Capstone Project Introduction (07:58 minutes)
Future Concepts (30:47 minutes)
Future Concepts - Christopher LaForge (06:30 minutes)
New Energy Infrastructure in the Age of Energy Transition
Inside Google’s Bid to Get Granular on Renewable Energy Credits (.pdf)
BP bets on energy trading to fund strategy shift after bumper year (.pdf)
Breakthrough Batteries (.pdf)
Investors are supporting Vanadium Redox Flow Technology
Carmakers want to ditch battery packs, use auto bodies for energy storage (.pdf)
This 100-Foot Catamaran Just Crossed the Atlantic Using Only Hydrogen Fuel and Solar Power (.pdf)
Energy Observer
A New Battery Chemistry Will Lead the Stationary Energy Storage Market by 2030 (.pdf)
Cold storage: Organic proton batteries show disposal, solar pairing advantages in advance to market (.pdf)
EnerVenue - Metal-Hydrogen battery
Tech innovation on the path to 2050 (.pdf)
Emrod claims it has Commercially Viable Long-Range Wireless Transmission Technology
To batteries and beyond (.pdf)
The final Colleague Interview (51:40 minutes)
Thermal Energy Storage Webinar Series Ice Thermal Energy Storage (.pdf)
Week 6 Review and Course Wrap-up (13:46 minutes)
Submit Your Capstone Project -

Conclusion - Feedback and Additional Resources

1 Year of Access to Course Materials
Feedback: 2-minute Exit Survey
Consider Joining as a HeatSpring Member
Certificate of Completion: Request a Certificate

Instructors

Christopher LaForge

Certified Master Trainer (IREC), NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Professional - Emeritus , Great Northern Solar

Christopher LaForge is the CEO of Great Northern Solar and a NABCEP certified photovoltaic installer-emeritus. He has been designing, specifying, and installing systems since 1988. He has been an instructor with the MREA since 1993 teaching Advanced Photovoltaic design and installation and is an ISPQ Affiliated Master Trainer. In 2016 he was named IREC's Master Trainer... Learn more

Chris Brown

Chief Bussiness Officer , KiloVault

Chris Brown is passionate about the renewable energy and enthusiastic about sustainable solutions through technology and innovation. After completing his undergraduate education at the University of Massachusetts, Chris entered technical sales of renewable energy products 2006 with a focus on off grid renewable energy projects around the world. Several years later,... Learn more

Ratings

4.3

29 reviews

Courses with student ratings: 2

by Kim Quirk, Storage Engineer, ReVision Energy 05/29/2023

Having been in the industry for over a decade this class proved to me that there is still a lot we can learn from each other. I enjoyed the interviews and the readings and I also realize that this industry is moving very quickly, so we need to stay up to date with the industry magazines, podcasts, and blogposts.

by Azmat M 05/26/2023

by Prithviraj S 03/21/2021

by Alan Courtemanche, Sr QA inspector , Standard Solar, Inc. 02/05/2021

This course is a great introduction to the different aspects of the solar and storage industries. From development through commissioning, this touches on all of them. As a quality inspector, I have to stay in front of the curve of data, and this really helped. Thanks Chris and Chris.

by Edgardo B 08/02/2023

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Frequently asked questions

How does this course work?

You can begin this online course instantly upon enrollment. This 0 module course is delivered entirely online. This course is self-paced and you can set your own schedule to complete the materials. You can begin the lecture videos and other course materials as soon as you enroll. During your year of access the instructor will be in the course answering questions on the discussion board. After successfully completing the course, you will be able to generate a certificate of completion.

How long do I have access to the materials?

Students get unlimited access to the course materials as soon as they enroll and for one year (365 days) after enrollment. Rewatch videos and review assignments as many times as you want. View updates the instructor makes to the course as the industry advances. Return to your course anytime with online access from anywhere in the world. After the one year of access expires, access can be extended by joining as a HeatSpring member. A single membership extends access to course materials for all past enrollments.

Is there a certificate of completion?

Yes, when you complete this course you are eligible for a certificate of completion from HeatSpring. You can download your certificate as soon as you have completed all of the course requirements. Students can easily share their verified certificates on their LinkedIn profiles using our LinkedIn integration.

Can I register multiple people?

Yes please visit our HeatSpring for Teams page to get a group discount.

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