New Free Course Announcement: Introduction to Software for Battery Systems

While utility-scale solar and battery systems are transforming our energy infrastructure, finding comprehensive, accessible education on the software that powers these systems can be challenging.

Most available training focuses on hardware components or high-level energy concepts, but there are limited resources that bridge the gap between software development skills and the specific requirements of battery energy storage systems. Clean energy professionals often struggle to find courses that combine practical software knowledge with real-world battery system applications.

That’s why instructor Peter Gruenbaum created our new free course “Introduction to Software for Battery Systems” – to provide an accessible, introductory resource that connects software fundamentals with the unique demands of utility-scale battery management.

Why Take This Course

The way utility-scale batteries are being used is rapidly evolving, and the software requirements are becoming increasingly sophisticated. According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration, price arbitrage has emerged as the dominant use case for battery systems – with 66% of all utility-scale battery capacity now using arbitrage strategies and 41% primarily focused on arbitrage operations.

This represents a significant shift from previous years when frequency regulation was the most common application. The change reflects the growing complexity of energy markets and the critical importance of intelligent software systems that can analyze market conditions, predict price fluctuations, and execute optimal charging and discharging strategies in real-time.

Meet Your Instructor

Peter Gruenbaum brings a unique combination of academic rigor and real-world experience to this course. With a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford specializing in solar energy, he’s worked as a commercial software developer for major companies including Boeing and Microsoft. Since 2019, he’s been deeply involved in renewable energy software development, creating systems that control batteries attached to solar and wind farms in Texas and developing behind-the-meter solutions across North America. He also teaches “Software for Renewable Energy” at the University of Washington.

What You’ll Learn

This comprehensive course covers the basics that clean energy professionals need to understand about battery system software.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Identify the differences between front-of-meter and behind-the-meter battery systems and determine appropriate software architecture strategies for each
• Apply microservices-based software architecture strategies for energy market bidding and behind-the-meter battery management systems
• Evaluate opportunities for revenue from energy markets and cost savings from behind-the-meter systems using techniques such as energy arbitrage, ancillary services, and peak shaving

What This Course Doesn’t Cover

To keep the focus sharp and practical, this course concentrates on utility-scale applications. It doesn’t cover low-level battery energy storage system (BESS) software, electric vehicle battery software, or mobile device battery management.

Ready to Dive In?

Enroll now in our free “Introduction to Software for Battery Systems” course!