Solar energy storage device procurement

What is solar-plus for Electric Co-ops?

Solar-Plus for Electric Co-ops (SPECs) was launched to help optimize the planning, procurement, and operations of battery storage and solar-plus-storage for electric cooperatives. SPECs was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for Round 2 of the Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN).

What are the challenges of procurement for utility-side storage & solar-plus projects?

The challenges of procurement for utility-side storage and solar-plus projects center largely on early-stage decisions: defining the top-priority use case, but also exploring ways to get more value out of the project and to prepare for market changes over its life.

What is an EPC agreement for a battery energy storage system?

The negotiation of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for a battery energy storage systems (BESS) project typically surfaces many of the same contractual risk allocation issues that one encounters in the negotiation of an EPC agreement for a solar or wind project.

Will energy storage save the energy industry?

It’s generation . . . it’s transmission . . . it’s energy storage! The renewable energy industry continues to view energy storage as the superhero that will save it from its greatest problem—intermittent energy production and the resulting grid reliability issues that such intermittent generation engenders.

Are solar manufacturers circumventing antidumping and countervailing duty orders?

The solar market was further constrained by an ongoing petition before the US Department of Commerce alleging that certain solar manufacturers in Southeast Asia were circumventing antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on solar cells and modules from China.

How can battery storage improve solar energy production?

Note rising interest in value streams that are locally realized, e.g., time-shifting to balance rising distributed energy resources (DERs) locally. Battery storage can prevent solar over-production, while facilitating local high-renewables goals. It also may sometimes defer the need for a distribution upgrade (non-wires alternative).