New Course: Software for In Front of the Meter Battery Systems According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, developers plan to add 24 GW of utility-scale battery storage to the grid in 2026 – on top of the record 15 GW added in 2025 and more than 40 GW over the… Continue reading “New Course: Software for In Front of the Meter Battery Systems”
New Course: Energy Storage Finance Energy storage has crossed a threshold. The technology is mature, costs have come down dramatically, and customers are asking for it. Now the real work is figuring out how to structure a deal that actually pencils. Wes Kennedy has spent… Continue reading “New Course: Energy Storage Finance”
1 FREE NABCEP CEU – How We Got Here: A (Riveting!) History of DER Interconnection in the U.S. If you’ve ever hit a wall on a solar or storage project because of interconnection delays, confusing utility procedures, or regulations that seem to make no sense – this new course is for you. HeatSpring just launched a new, free… Continue reading “1 FREE NABCEP CEU – How We Got Here: A (Riveting!) History of DER Interconnection in the U.S.”
New Course Bundle: Microgrid Essentials with Mayfield Renewables As battery storage costs drop and grid reliability concerns grow, microgrid projects are moving from the margins to the mainstream. The broader energy storage market is surging – the U.S. installed a record 57.6 GWh of new battery storage in… Continue reading “New Course Bundle: Microgrid Essentials with Mayfield Renewables”
Why Just Adding Batteries Won’t Solve Your Interconnection Problems When a solar project gets denied interconnection approval due to grid constraints, the natural impulse is to find a workaround. Can’t export to the grid? Can’t you just add batteries and keep everything on-site? If you’re not sending power back… Continue reading “Why Just Adding Batteries Won’t Solve Your Interconnection Problems “
What is the 120% “Rule” in Solar PV Design? If you’ve spent any time learning about solar PV systems, you’ve probably heard someone mention the 120% “rule.” It turns out that it’s not actually a rule at all. It’s one of several options for connecting solar to the utility… Continue reading “What is the 120% “Rule” in Solar PV Design?”
How Tax Credit Deadlines Are Overwhelming Utility Interconnection Queues The Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits were designed to accelerate clean energy deployment. With tax credits prematurely winding down, solar professionals are having to juggle multiple critical timelines with their projects. That’s because the customer tax credit eligibility doesn’t just… Continue reading “How Tax Credit Deadlines Are Overwhelming Utility Interconnection Queues”
How Solar Companies Can Get Ahead of Interconnection Challenges Across the country, many solar companies are following the same pattern. They build their interconnection processes around current conditions, assuming approvals will keep flowing seamlessly. The challenges start when saturation hits their local circuits and delays start to become more… Continue reading “How Solar Companies Can Get Ahead of Interconnection Challenges”
Practical Advice for Adding Energy Storage to Your Solar Business The transition from solar-only to solar plus storage doesn’t require a complete business overhaul, but it does require sound strategy. HeatSpring instructor Wes Kennedy shares actionable advice for solar companies ready to integrate more energy storage: how to identify markets… Continue reading “Practical Advice for Adding Energy Storage to Your Solar Business”
Common Misconceptions About Interconnection When interconnection problems arise, it’s easy to assume the utility is the villain by actively blocking clean energy projects or acting in bad faith. In some instances, that can be true. It turns out the reality is far more complex… Continue reading “Common Misconceptions About Interconnection”
Can Residential Solar Companies Make Money Doing Energy Audits? When solar companies consider adding energy audits into their service offering, one question always comes up: can you actually make money doing them? In this clip from HeatSpring PRO Circles, building performance expert and “Avoiding Main Panel Upgrades” instructor Spencer… Continue reading “Can Residential Solar Companies Make Money Doing Energy Audits?”
The Gateway to Building Performance | How Solar Companies Can Diversify into New Revenue Streams For residential solar companies squeezed by declining margins and saturated markets, the path forward is clear: diversify. The fuzzy part for many is where to begin. In this clip from HeatSpring PRO Circles, building performance expert Spencer Rosen breaks down… Continue reading “The Gateway to Building Performance | How Solar Companies Can Diversify into New Revenue Streams”
Why Solar Professionals Can’t Afford to Ignore Interconnection Anymore The assumption that solar projects submitted to utilities would automatically be approved used to be standard operating procedure in jurisdictions with established interconnection policies. Unfortunately, those days are over in many places. As solar deployment has accelerated, interconnection delays and… Continue reading “Why Solar Professionals Can’t Afford to Ignore Interconnection Anymore”
Why DC-Coupled Solar Plus Storage Is Finally Ready to Take Off For years, DC-coupling was the way off-grid systems worked. Then AC-coupling took over. Now, interconnection bottlenecks and new tax incentives are bringing DC-coupling back – this time at commercial scale. HeatSpring instructor Wes Kennedy walks through the economics and engineering:… Continue reading “Why DC-Coupled Solar Plus Storage Is Finally Ready to Take Off”
The Difference Between Load-Side & Supply-Side Connections: Sean White Explains The distinction between load-side and supply-side connections is fundamental to solar and energy storage installations, yet the terminology keeps evolving, and the common terms don’t always match what’s actually in the code. In the video below, HeatSpring instructor Sean White… Continue reading “The Difference Between Load-Side & Supply-Side Connections: Sean White Explains”
Why Your Solar Service Department Looks Unprofitable (And How to Fix It) If your service department looks like a money pit on paper, you might not have a service problem – you might have an accounting problem. In a recent HeatSpring PRO Circle discussion with Amanda Bybee, CEO of the Amicus O&M… Continue reading “Why Your Solar Service Department Looks Unprofitable (And How to Fix It)”
How the Shift From EVs to Data Centers Is Reshaping the Battery Market The battery market is experiencing a dramatic shift – and it’s creating opportunities for energy storage professionals. HeatSpring instructor Wes Kennedy breaks down the technology trends reshaping the industry: how EV manufacturing overcapacity is driving battery prices down, why Ford… Continue reading “How the Shift From EVs to Data Centers Is Reshaping the Battery Market”
Energy Storage in 2026: Policy Changes, Market Reality, and Long-Term Outlook If you’re wondering how 2025 policy changes are affecting energy storage demand, this conversation is for you. Wes Kennedy, instructor of Comprehensive Solar Plus Storage, walks through the key dynamics shaping the market: why storage maintained federal incentives while solar… Continue reading “Energy Storage in 2026: Policy Changes, Market Reality, and Long-Term Outlook”
What is String Sizing in PV Solar Design? Sean White Explains String sizing is one of the most critical and foundational calculations in PV system design. At its core, string sizing is about understanding how solar modules behave under different temperature conditions and ensuring your system operates safely within the voltage… Continue reading “What is String Sizing in PV Solar Design? Sean White Explains”
How Companies Launch an O&M Department (and Why Your Accounting Matters More Than You Think) There’s a predictable moment in virtually every growing solar company’s trajectory – the day you realize that pulling installers off job sites to handle service calls is costing you more than you thought. Most solar businesses don’t strategically plan their… Continue reading “How Companies Launch an O&M Department (and Why Your Accounting Matters More Than You Think)”