New Course: 10-Hour Energy Storage 2020 NEC When you need ten NABCEP hours, you want ten NABCEP hours. Not eighteen or twenty or thirty or forty or fifty-eight. Ten. You asked and Sean White listened – the result is his new “10-Hour Energy Storage 2020 NEC” class.… Continue reading “New Course: 10-Hour Energy Storage 2020 NEC”
Wes Kennedy’s Solar Shed and the Quest for Net Zero This Fall Wes Kennedy is teaching an incredible course called “Comprehensive Solar + Storage“. Consider taking it if you want to level-up your energy storage knowledge and earn a bunch of NABCEP credits. I asked Wes what kept him busy… Continue reading “Wes Kennedy’s Solar Shed and the Quest for Net Zero”
How Do We Get From 4% to 45%? Today the Biden administration released a plan to increase the amount of solar energy produced from 4% of total generation (where it is today) to 45% by 2050. That represents a lot of growth for the solar industry. What will… Continue reading “How Do We Get From 4% to 45%?”
Providing Much-Needed Information About the Solar and Storage Industry For HeatSpring instructor Justine Sanchez, the energy storage system explosion at Arizona Public Service in 2019 was an eye opener.As a result of the explosion, nine first responders were hospitalized. “For me, this was a real wake-up call about the… Continue reading “Providing Much-Needed Information About the Solar and Storage Industry”
An Insider’s Guide to the NABCEP Conference Aug 9-12 You can take a beginning PV course live from HeatSpring instructor Sean White, network with solar industry professionals, check out industry members’ exhibits and get your continuing education credits at the NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) Continuing… Continue reading “An Insider’s Guide to the NABCEP Conference Aug 9-12”
NFPA 855 and Fire Code Requirements for Energy Storage Systems Justine Sanchez and the team at Mayfield Renewables just launched a new course – NFPA 855 and Fire Code Requirements for Energy Storage Systems. It’s the second in a two-course series on Electrical & Fire Codes for Energy Storage Systems.… Continue reading “NFPA 855 and Fire Code Requirements for Energy Storage Systems”
What is NEM Paired Storage? “Energy Storage Net Metering”, also known as “NEM Paired Storage”, allows a customer with a behind-the-meter solar + storage system to discharge their battery, exporting stored energy back to the grid and receive a net energy metering credit. NEM Paired… Continue reading “What is NEM Paired Storage?”
Where are the Best Opportunities for Solar + Storage? We’re excited to announce a new free class, developed in partnership with Energy Toolbase: “Optimizing the Economics of C&I Solar + Storage Projects in California“. It’s worth paying attention because the presentation is packed with useful data you won’t find… Continue reading “Where are the Best Opportunities for Solar + Storage?”
The Duck Curve: One Picture Explains the Rise of Solar + Storage Kerim Baran teaches our new “Solar Entrepreneurship” course. Last week we had our first live, interactive lecture. It was lightly attended, fun, and I learned something really interesting: The Duck Curve. Here’s how Kerim explains The Duck Curve: Net metering… Continue reading “The Duck Curve: One Picture Explains the Rise of Solar + Storage”
With a Mission of Boosting Solar + Storage, Chris Brown Makes his Mark In the 1990s, when Chris Brown was in high school, concerns about global warming sparked his interest in renewable energy. He knew that climate disasters were in his future. “And I was convinced that it was inevitable that we’d deplete… Continue reading “With a Mission of Boosting Solar + Storage, Chris Brown Makes his Mark”
Why This Long-Time Solar Advocate is Having So Much Fun “We are at the leapfrog stage in renewable energy. This is a paradigm shift. This is the answer, the holy grail,” says Christopher LaForge, co-instructor of two new courses from Heatspring, Utility Scale Commercial & Industrial Storage 101 and Utility… Continue reading “Why This Long-Time Solar Advocate is Having So Much Fun”
Justine Sanchez is Passionate About Moving the Solar Industry Forward Justine Sanchez, lead instructor for “NEC 2017 & 2020 Solar + Storage Requirements“, has installed solar electric systems, served as an editor for Home Power Magazine, worked as a PV technical trainer for Solar Energy International (SEI) and served as… Continue reading “Justine Sanchez is Passionate About Moving the Solar Industry Forward”
New Class! – NEC 2017 & 2020 Solar + Storage Requirements New Course Update: A new course, 10-Hour Energy Storage 2020 NEC Class, taught by Sean White is HeatSpring’s current course that covers energy storage and the NEC. (Updated July 2022) Check out this new short course from Justine Sanchez and… Continue reading “New Class! – NEC 2017 & 2020 Solar + Storage Requirements”
Evaluating the Financial Returns of Energy Storage A number of factors now contribute to changes that allow storage to reap returns for owners and operators, says Wes Kennedy, instructor of HeatSpring’s Comprehensive Solar Plus Storage course. “Storage makes money with demand charge management, time of use arbitrage… Continue reading “Evaluating the Financial Returns of Energy Storage”
Solar ITC Extended, Huge Public Market Investment in Solar: What it Means for 2021 The solar industry’s year ended with good news for 2021, and other positive headlines may be coming. Not only did the industry see high public market investment in 2020. The solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was extended. “The solar industry… Continue reading “Solar ITC Extended, Huge Public Market Investment in Solar: What it Means for 2021”
Energy Storage Basics: Sean White’s New Book Instructor Sean White just published his latest book, “Energy Storage Basics” on Amazon. Sean has written other books, but it’s still a big deal and we want to congratulate him on this latest release. We asked Sean why he wrote… Continue reading “Energy Storage Basics: Sean White’s New Book”
Protecting Firefighters and Solar Homes with Rapid Shutdown During Wildfire Season When Sean White meets firefighters, he often asks what they do if they encounter solar homes during wildfires. Do they rush to protect the homes? In the past, the answer was no, says White, instructor of HeatSpring’s 40-Hour NABCEP Advanced… Continue reading “Protecting Firefighters and Solar Homes with Rapid Shutdown During Wildfire Season”
New Standards Aim to Ensure Storage is Safe But Fail to Distinguish Among Battery Chemistries A lithium-ion battery in a container near Phoenix owned by Arizona Public Service (APS) caught fire in April 2019, then other batteries in the container caught fire, releasing explosive gas and sparking an explosion that hurt several first responders. Such… Continue reading “New Standards Aim to Ensure Storage is Safe But Fail to Distinguish Among Battery Chemistries”
Load Modeling Tool Helps Users Decide How to Best Use Solar, Storage & Controls To make the most effective use of solar, it’s critical to know when and how a customer is using power–and see if there’s a match between load and solar availability. While this seems like a simple idea, using a load… Continue reading “Load Modeling Tool Helps Users Decide How to Best Use Solar, Storage & Controls”
The Quiet Revolution: Solar-Plus-Storage Gains Ground In some parts of the country, the costs of solar-plus-storage are beating grid prices, which is good news for the solar industry and the environment. For example, in Nevada, regulators in 2019 approved three solar-plus-storage power purchase agreements (PPA) for… Continue reading “The Quiet Revolution: Solar-Plus-Storage Gains Ground”