Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Article 705 applies to PV and ESS. Everything we say here is going to apply to anything backfeeding the grid or a microgrid, however we will use ESS examples. We cover anti-islanding, Microgrid Interconnect Devices (MID), IEEE, Microgrid System definition, 705.11 Supply-Side Connections, 705.12 Load-Side Connections, 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS), Article 705 Part 2 AC Microgrids. To find out...

In this podcast we cover material in Chapters 6 & 7 in the NEC (not including 706 ESS in detail, which we covered in a previous podcast) from an ESS point of view, including 625 EV Power Transfer Systems, EVSE=EV supply equipment, 692 Fuel Cells, 702 Standby Systems, ATS (automatic transfer switch), MID (microgrid interconnect device), 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources, 706 Energy St...

Article 90 Introduction, Art. 100 Definitions, Art. 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations, Art. 200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors, Art. 240 Overcurrent Protection, Article 250 Grounding and Bonding (& Soares book), Art. 310 Conductors for General Wiring, Art. 358 EMT, Art. 480 Storage Batteries and Chapter 5 Special Occupancies, including aircraft hangers! To learn more abo...

In this podcast we will go over and explain NEC Article 706 Energy Storage Systems Part III “Installation Requirements”, Part IV “Circuit Requirements”, Part V “Flow Battery Energy Storage Systems” and Part VI “Other Energy Storage Technologies”. To learn more about energy storage, go to  www.solarSEAN.com

In this podcast we go over: ESS and the NEC 2020, 2017 and 2014 NEC 706 ESS 710 Stand-Alone Systems 712 DC Microgrids 690 PV NABCEP 1897 NEC 1984 NEC Statistics NEC Chapters 1-4, 5, 6, 7 Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources Chapter 8 Communications Chapter 9 Tables NFPA 855 Standard for the Installation of Energy Storage Systems 2020 NEC pdf Article 480 Storage Batteries NECA, UL 19...

In this podcast, we will cover: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Bloom Energy Bloom Box Hydrogen from Natural Gas Server Module Ethanol Lithium vs. Lead-Acid Solar Family Reunion Nameplate Capacity vs. Usable Capacity Round Trip Efficiency Cobalt Graphite Anode NMC LFP LifePo NCA Reactive Power (Q) Black Start VRLA AGM NiMH Silicon Graphite Anode Tesla batteries Sodium Sulfur UL 9540 UL 1973 LG and more   T...

In this podcast, we will cover: Energy Storage Systems (ESS) growth rates Lithium and other markets Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Molten Salt Storage Fly Wheel Storage Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Ternary Batteries (NMC or NCA vs. LFP) Energy Density vs. Specific Energy Battery Memory Myths Protection Circuits Lead-Acid Deep Cycle Batteries Maintenance Equalization NiMH NiCad Lithium vs....

In this podcast, we will focus on the following manufacturers: Samsung, LG, Mitsubishi and Sungrow. (In another podcast we will cover other manufacturers) Some of the topics included here are: Diversified manufacturers and bankruptcy risks Warranty insurance Distributed energy storage UPS Residential and telecom smaller scale comparisons Virtual Power Plants (VPP) Cells Racks Containers Peak Shift...

In this podcast, we will cover: battery charging and discharging voltage levels coulomb counting data temperatures loads warranties battery management systems (BMS) smart batteries dumb batteries self discharge rubber band effect button battery dangers FAA battery rules.   To learn more about batteries go to  www.solarSEAN.com

Topics covered: Transportation of batteries Lithium metal dendrites Lithium ion International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Surprise Thermal Events Recycling lithium batteries Battery aging Rock content Cutoff Voltage Battery sweet zone Stratification Faded 2nd hand EV batteries used for stationary ESS and data science. For more excitement and to grow your brain and to increase your value...

In this episode Sean talks about virtual power plants, which is the aggregation of many small energy storage systems together to end up with the energy storage capacity of a large utility scale energy storage facility. This distributed energy storage, working in harmony with each other can provide many benefits to the grid and to consumers. To find out more about energy storage, PV and everything...

In this podcast, we will cover, C-rates, hour rates, E-rates, comparing lithium to lead-acid batteries, DOD, battery cells, modules and packs, series and parallel connections, cylindrical, prismatic and pouch batteries, cathodes, anodes, electron flow vs. conventional current direction, electrolytes and the graphite anode. To learn more, go to solarSEAN.com

This is the fourth and final part of an interview with Greg Smith of Sonnen Battery. In this podcast we cover Greg’s opinion against rapid shutdown (RSD) requirements of the NEC, a book he is writing, whole house backup and how fast a Sonnen can react to a grid outage, which is 100 milliseconds.   To find out more about everything solar and storage, go to solarSEAN.com

When you connect PV to Energy Storage, you have to decide if you are going to have them connected together via ac or dc electricity. There are benefits to each for different applications. We will talk about the nuances of ac coupling and dc coupling and give you the benefits and drawbacks of each.   To find out more and expand your knowledge, go to  solarsean.com  

In this podcast, we will learn about the basics of electricity, from voltage to the speed of electricity. We will even get inside of the heads of Charles Coulomb and Henry Ampere. Did you know that 1A is about 6 x 10^18 electrons passing by in a second? And that that many electrons, besides being a lot is also called a coulomb and some batteries do charging by coulomb counting. How can anyone coun...

In this series of Podcasts we are going to take an unbiased look at different popular Energy System Components. In this podcast we will cover Solar Generac/Pika, Sonnen, Solis, Sol-Ark, Fortress, KiloVault, Trojan Trillium, Rolls, Sunverge, Schneider, SimpliPhi, SMA, BYD and Victron. To find out more about Sean White, solar and energy storage classes, NABCEP exam Prep, books and customized project...

In this series of Podcasts we are going to take an unbiased look at different popular Energy System Components. In this podcast we will cover Solar Edge StorEdge, LG Chem RESU, Enphase and Tesla. In upcoming podcasts in this series, we will cover Generac/Pika, Sonnen, Solis, Sol-Ark, Fortress, KiloVault, Trojan Trillium, Rolls, Sunverge, Schneider, SimpliPhi, SMA, BYD and Victron. To find out more...

Upon finishing this podcast, you will forever remember the top three lithium-ion battery chemistries, which are LFP, NMC and NCA, also known as Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide and Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide. We will cover more about lithium batteries, such as including the definition of specific energy, which is energy per weight, rather than energy density,...

Greg used to be the face of SMA America training and now is the face of Sonnen battery education in the US. This episode, we talk about energy storage self-consumption, energy storage without backup being common in Germany, PG&E public safety power shutoffs and demand for backup in the us, autonomy, ac-coupling, frequency control, module level power electronics, and some companies overestimati...

In this part of my interview with Brian Hayden, we discuss drones, space, making online class content, how COVID effects the solar industry, a view of the solar industry stepping back and blurring out the ups and downs and what does good online training look like. To find out more about this podcast or HeatSpring online training, where Sean has now had 15k students sign up for his online classes,...

This is a reading from the 2020 NEC of Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources, which features 705.11 Supply-Side Source Connections, 705.12 Load-Side Source Connections and the new in 2020 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS). 705.13 is new and will be very useful for making interconnections, so that we are not limited by the options in 705.11 and 705.12. When we have very smart electro...

This week, we discuss the importance of software, artificial intelligence, controllable breakers, 2020 NEC 690.13 Power Control Systems, home automation platforms, blockchain, benefits to ac coupling, a 10,000 cycle warranty, Shell’s purchase of Sonnen and Shell’s renewable energy history. To find out more about Sean White’s, online classes or to hire Sean for live trainings for NABCEP credit go t...

Greg Smith is a micro-Celebrity in the Solar and Storage industry. He has been the top US technical training manager at two of the top German renewable energy companies. Sonnen is perhaps the most mature lithium ion company in the world that has just celebrated its 10th birthday. If you have been to a big solar show in the US in the last 10 years, you have passed Greg, probably with a crowd around...

This week we learn how HeatSpring came to be by two MBA candidates from Boston based Babson College’s entrepreneur program. Their recipe is to find the best instructors, who are SMEs that like to teach and many often write books. HeatSpring has been a success story. We also discuss Grid Alternatives, which is an organization that compliments online solar training very well and is often described a...

Brian Hayden discusses how HeatSpring started as an offshoot of two HS co-founders trying to get educated in renewable energy with the idea of becoming integrators. They were unsuccessful at finding the education they wanted, so they started HeatSpring, with the idea that they would get the best instructors in the world who are often authors. They would let the instructors use their own material a...