Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project The Footprint Project’s mission is to provide cleaner energy for communities in crisis. They work to green disaster response in the aftermath of climate change emergencies. In this blog post, we hear from William Heegaard, Operations Director at the Footprint… Continue reading “Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project”
Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections The latest revision of IEEE 1547TM-2018 – IEEE Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Interfaces turns five years old this year. Many solar PV developers and engineers that are just entering the industry… Continue reading “Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections”
New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training Total global solar installed capacity is expected to reach 2.2 terawatts by 2030, which means the solar O&M sector will be continuing to rapidly grow to keep pace. According to research from Wood Mackenzie cited in Solar Builder Magazine, the… Continue reading “New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training”
OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring Safety training is often required – and arguably should always be required – to work on construction job sites. It’s also essential to qualify for most NABCEP professional certification exams. The HeatSpring community asks us all the time where to… Continue reading “OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring”
New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications While we know solar can be a great way to reduce energy costs for your residence or business, there are so many ways to apply solar technology to projects outside the standard use cases. If you’ve worked in the solar… Continue reading “New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications”
New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution HeatSpring is pleased to announce a new course focusing on IEEE 1547-2018, the interconnection standard for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on utility distribution systems. Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution, will launch in February 2023,… Continue reading “New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution”
Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar Wood Mackenzie projects the U.S. utility-scale PV market will add 437 GW between 2022 and 2032. That’s 43,700 MW every year for ten years. It’s a staggering number and no solar company has the people they need to deliver at… Continue reading “Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar”
Guidelines for Designing Grounding Systems for Solar PV Installations in Accordance With the NEC Grounding and bonding is a subject area that can be confusing to many. In this blog post, we summarize key points according to the NEC. The NEC is the primary guiding document for the safe designing and installation practices of… Continue reading “Guidelines for Designing Grounding Systems for Solar PV Installations in Accordance With the NEC”
Join us Nov 1-3 at the OSCC conference in Portland Next week I’ll be attending the Oregon Solar + Storage Conference in Portland, Oregon. HeatSpring will be tabling at the career expo on Tuesday so make sure to stop by and say hi. If you haven’t registered, click here to… Continue reading “Join us Nov 1-3 at the OSCC conference in Portland”
UL 3741: Photovoltaic Hazard Control and the 1000V System This is part 2 of Sean White’s explanation of UL 3741, also known as photovoltaic hazard control and otherwise known as rapid shutdown. The UL 3741 listing came out in 2020 and it takes time for manufacturers to come up… Continue reading “UL 3741: Photovoltaic Hazard Control and the 1000V System”
The 2023 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free Becoming familiar with the National Electrical Code (NEC) is an absolute requirement for anyone planning on advancing in residential and commercial solar installation, design, or operations. It’s created by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to safeguard persons and property… Continue reading “The 2023 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free”
Why Your Company Needs a Solar + Storage Display System and Other Ways to Get Proficient with Energy Storage Systems We asked Chris LaForge, instructor of several solar and storage courses on HeatSpring, what steps companies newer to energy storage should be taking to get up to speed and do quality work. Chris explains the value of training, why your… Continue reading “Why Your Company Needs a Solar + Storage Display System and Other Ways to Get Proficient with Energy Storage Systems”
Changing Standards for the PV Industry: UL 61730 for PV Modules and UL 3741 for PV Hazard Control (Rapid Shutdown UL Listing) Codes and standards are regularly updated for the constantly evolving solar and storage industries. Sean White and Bill Brooks recently updated their advanced codes courses on HeatSpring to include information on UL 61730 and UL 3741. Here’s some information on… Continue reading “Changing Standards for the PV Industry: UL 61730 for PV Modules and UL 3741 for PV Hazard Control (Rapid Shutdown UL Listing)”
Key Takeaways from the National Solar Jobs Census 2021 + Updates to Solar Career Pathways Course Sharing out the latest information on solar employment statistics is a big component in HeatSpring’s free Solar Career Pathways course. When partners on the course, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), released their National Solar Jobs Census 2021, we jumped… Continue reading “Key Takeaways from the National Solar Jobs Census 2021 + Updates to Solar Career Pathways Course”
The Most Common Problem When Troubleshooting PV + Energy Storage Systems When asked about the most common problem regarding solar + storage, HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge came up with his answer without hesitation. Tune in to the video or the transcript below to hear Chris’s thoughts on the issue. Chris has… Continue reading “The Most Common Problem When Troubleshooting PV + Energy Storage Systems”
Why Your Install Crews Don’t Have (M)any Women It’s no secret that women are very underrepresented in the solar industry. According to the National Solar Job Census, women made up just under 30% of solar employees in 2021, which is well below the 47% of women that make… Continue reading “Why Your Install Crews Don’t Have (M)any Women”
Simulating a Power Outage to Test Battery Health Batteries that are used strictly for resiliency are oftentimes rarely discharged, as these storage applications only get used when the utility has an outage. That has a lot of implications for the storage equipment. Join HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge as… Continue reading “Simulating a Power Outage to Test Battery Health”
Construction & Project Managers: Demand is High, Supply is Low Chris Lord helps put together and finance large solar projects. From that vantage point he’s able to see where bottlenecks are in the industry. Recently Chris was telling me how hard it is to find experienced construction and project managers… Continue reading “Construction & Project Managers: Demand is High, Supply is Low”
The Importance of Surge Protection on PV + Energy Storage Systems Chris LaForge has been in the solar and storage industry for over 30 years. You can imagine he’s seen it all when it comes to operations and maintenance on solar and energy storage systems. We wanted to know what is… Continue reading “The Importance of Surge Protection on PV + Energy Storage Systems”
The Whys of String Sizing Let’s go over the whys of string sizing. What is it and why do we do it? String Sizing Basics String sizing is critical when you’re putting modules in series. Remember that when you put modules in series, the voltage… Continue reading “The Whys of String Sizing”