New Course: Basics of Commissioning on Utility-Scale Solar

Commissioning is where a solar construction site becomes a power plant. It’s also where schedule delays get expensive fast, defects cost more to fix than they did during construction, and the utility, owner’s engineer, lender’s engineer, and equipment vendors all show up at the same time.

It’s a phase that demands a lot, and a new HeatSpring course is built around helping you navigate it. Basics of Commissioning on Utility-Scale Solar is taught by Andy Nyce, Sr. Director of Project Management at Erthos Inc., with direct involvement in over 2 GW of utility-scale solar execution.

What the course covers

Commissioning is one of the most commercially risky phases of any solar project, and also one of the least formally documented. Most people learn it by doing it, which can often mean learning it the expensive way. This course gives you a structured framework for commissioning from the EPC perspective so you can walk into that phase knowing what needs to happen, in what order, and why.

Across six lessons, Andy covers the full commissioning arc:

• What commissioning actually is, including the three distinct phases most people lump together under one word
• Building and managing the commissioning team, including how to work effectively with the owner’s engineer, lender’s engineer, and vendor reps
• Pre-commissioning checks: string testing, combiner checks, inverter pre-commissioning, MV transformer and cable testing, protection relay wiring, grounding, and punch list management
• The energization sequence and electrical commissioning, including safety management, grid-inward energization, substation and interconnection commissioning, protection relay testing, and SCADA
• Performance testing and acceptance: Performance Ratio, capacity testing, availability testing, grid compliance, and the acceptance milestones that mark the formal handoff from EPC to owner
• Documentation, turnover, and closeout: what a complete handover package looks like, O&M training, warranty period management, financial closeout, and lessons learned

Who it’s for

This course is a strong fit for project managers, commissioning managers, site engineers, construction superintendents, and field engineers working in utility-scale solar. If you’re involved in project delivery at any level, understanding commissioning will make you more effective during the phase that carries the most schedule and financial risk.

About the instructor

Andy Nyce brings deep experience in large-scale renewables across engineering, construction, project management, and quality control. He’s been on-site through every level of installation, management, and commissioning, and he draws on that hands-on background throughout this course.

Enroll in Basics of Commissioning on Utility-Scale Solar today!