SEPA report predicts the rapid growth of solar+storage: SEI classes can help you get an edge on this emerging market

This week, The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) released its 2018 Utility Energy Storage Market Snapshot. According to SEPA, the report delivers “unbiased analysis and figures based on verified interconnection data from over 130 US utilities.” This year’s Utility Energy Storage Market Snapshot covers the expanding applications of energy storage and key market trends.

Here are some of the key take-aways from the report, based on reporting done by Solar Power World:

• U.S. utilities interconnected 216.7 MW, 523.9 MWh of energy storage to the grid across a total of 2,588 systems in 2017. By the end of the year, cumulative deployed energy storage had reached 922.8 MW, 1,293.6 MWh across 5,167 systems nationwide.
• In 2017, residential energy sotrage accounted for 13.3 MW, 29.3 MWh; while non-residential added 59 MW, 139.7 MWh; and utility supply reported 144.4 MW, 354.9 MWh.
• The Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage (ACES) initiative in Massachusetts has provided $20 million in funding for 26 storage pilot projects.
• Storage technologies are being deployed in demonstration projects across a wide range of applications including aggregated behind-the-meter batteries, stand-alone deployments for ancillary services and load shifting, traditional-battery hybrid power plants, non-wires alternatives and as the key asset of a microgrid.
• Behind-the-meter battery storage customer offerings are of key interest to utilities, 64% interested, planning or actively implementing an offering. Green Mountain Power is leading the charge with two pilots: a Tesla Powerwall and a Bring Your Own Battery.
• Solar+storage projects are rapidly emerging across the United States as the costs decline and utilities leverage the capabilities these systems can offer. Salt River Project is testing a solar+storage project for smoothing intermittent renewable generation, while the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative now has a solar+storage system that provides fully dispatchable solar power.

So what’s the best way to keep up on this new market trend? SEI offers multiple different storage-centered classes ranging from battery basics, to advanced microgrid design.

PVOL203: Solar Training-PV System Fundamentals (Battery-Based) is a great place to start. In PVOL203 the focus is on the fundamentals of battery­-based PV systems. The applications and configurations are many, and their complexity far exceeds that of grid­-direct PV systems. Components such as batteries, charge controllers, and battery­-based inverters are covered in detail, along with safety and maintenance considerations unique to battery­-based systems. Load analysis is critical to system design and will also be addressed along with other design criteria such as battery bank configuration and the electrical integration of the system.

In more advanced battery training, we also offer PVOL303: Solar Training- Advanced PV Mulitmode and Microgrid design (battery-based) and PVOL304: Solar Training- Advanced PV Standalone System Design (battery-based).

Our most intensive offering of battery-based training is our Battery-Based Photovoltaic Systems Certificate track. This track has 6 required courses. The recommended training progression is: PV101 or PVOL101 > PV203 or PVOL203 > PV201L > PV301L > PV303 or PVOL303 > PV304 or PVOL304.

To learn more about the trainings we offer, to inquire further about the Solar Professionals Certificate program, contact the Student Services Team at sei@solarenergy.org or call 970-527-7657 x1.

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