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 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”
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”
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)”
Rapid Shutdown in PV Installations: Sean White Explains Rapid shutdown requirements can feel overwhelming, but they’re actually pretty straightforward once you understand their purpose. In this video, HeatSpring instructor Sean White cuts through the confusion about NEC 690.12 rapid shutdown requirements for PV systems on buildings. He explains… Continue reading “Rapid Shutdown in PV Installations: Sean White Explains”
Is 2026 the Year You Get Your NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification? Ready to level up your solar career in 2026? There’s never been a better time to pursue your NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification. If you don’t yet have all your required installation experience, NABCEP’s new Board Eligible Status program… Continue reading “Is 2026 the Year You Get Your NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification?”
Why Do Electrical Panels Often Have More Loads Than Supply? Have you ever added up all the breakers in an electrical panel and realized the total capacity of all those breakers exceeds what the main service can actually supply? If you’re like most people, this raises the question: why would… Continue reading “Why Do Electrical Panels Often Have More Loads Than Supply?”
Taking a Look at Ground-fault Path Scenarios: Positive Ground Fault on a Transformer-Based Inverter When it comes to solar PV systems, understanding ground fault scenarios is crucial for both safety and proper system operation. This video excerpt from our comprehensive “Solar PV Ground-fault Troubleshooting: Theory, Tools, and Field Application” course demonstrates why mastering the… Continue reading “Taking a Look at Ground-fault Path Scenarios: Positive Ground Fault on a Transformer-Based Inverter”
What Are the Components of a Main Service Panel? When you’re scoping a solar project, a battery system, or a whole-home electrification retrofit, one of the first considerations will be main service panel capacity. Panel capacity is affected by its components: the service conductors, meter, busbar rating, and main… Continue reading “What Are the Components of a Main Service Panel?”
EMS vs. PCS in the 2026 NEC: Understanding the Critical Differences Every three years, the National Electrical Code gets a chance to clarify anything that wasn’t quite right the last time around. Sometimes that means refining vague language. Other times it means introducing new terms to distinguish between concepts that were… Continue reading “EMS vs. PCS in the 2026 NEC: Understanding the Critical Differences”
The 2026 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free Great news for solar and energy storage professionals! The 2026 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC®) has been released, and you can review it for free on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website. How to Access the 2026… Continue reading “The 2026 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free”
Why Avoid Upsizing the Main Panel? When homeowners consider electrification upgrades – adding heat pumps, EV chargers, heat pump water heaters, other electric appliances, or solar and storage systems – they’re sometimes told they need a main panel upgrade. What many people don’t realize is that… Continue reading “Why Avoid Upsizing the Main Panel?”
Diversify into Solar Service with HeatSpring’s Solar Service PRO Badge Millions of solar systems are already installed across the US. These systems will operate for 25+ years, and every single one will need maintenance, troubleshooting, and occasional repairs. Yet many solar companies have historically focused exclusively on new installations while… Continue reading “Diversify into Solar Service with HeatSpring’s Solar Service PRO Badge”