GridVest

We’ve found that most BESS procurement decisions are still anchored to CapEx. Day-zero cost is visible, comparable, and easy to defend internally, but we think it's the *least predictive* metric of how a project will actually perform. Lifecycle cost is harder to model, but the details that drive it are exactly what need to be resolved before a purchase order. A financial model is only as good as the technical assumptions underneath it, and we've seen the same gaps and misunderstandings show up across projects repeatedly. So GridVest experts put together a structured framework and criteria set for evaluating BESS equipment across seven key areas, including the three that tend to get the least attention: total cost of ownership, EMS, and FEOC path modeling. Read now > https://lnkd.in/gm2weP8G

#Datacenter customers often use "UPS" and "battery storage" interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) bridges the gap between a utility outage and generator start, typically for just a few minutes. While battery storage (BESS) is built to do far more than that. Four set-ups we see in the market today: 1️⃣ Traditional UPS — Milliseconds of response, 5–15 minutes of runtime. Bridges the gap until generators start. Proven, insurer-accepted, but the batteries sit idle almost all the time. 2️⃣ UPS + separate BESS — Keeps the existing UPS architecture intact and adds a larger, independent battery system alongside it (often 20–100+ MWh for a 20 MW facility). This is the lowest-risk path to peak shaving, demand charge reduction, and utility program participation without redesigning the electrical system. 3️⃣ Integrated UPS + BESS — One battery asset handles ride-through, backup, peak shaving, demand response, and frequency regulation. Better utilization and a smaller footprint, but it asks more of the controls architecture and commissioning process. 4️⃣ Long-duration battery, reduced generator role — BESS covers 2–8+ hours, generators stay in place for true multi-day outages. Lower emissions and easier air permitting, but this is still an evolving regulatory picture. None of these are universally "right." The choice depends on the facility's load profile, its interconnection constraints, and how much operational complexity the team is prepared to manage. But UPS keeps servers alive for seconds to minutes. BESS keeps the facility operating and optimizes energy costs for hours. For most facilities, the UPS + BESS path is where we're seeing the most near-term traction, since it layers new value onto existing infrastructure rather than rearchitecting it. If you're developing a data center project and weighing these options, let's talk.

BESS integration and EMS configuration comes up constantly — and it came up in our latest webinar ‘What to Look for When Selecting BESS Equipment.’ Liam O'Brien and Tyson Bittrich from Mayfield Renewables brought some great real-world context to this topic, so a big thanks for their input here! With the EMS as the brain of the system, the battery doesn't do anything until you tell it to. But a lot of projects treat it as an afterthought — and end up with controls misconfigured for the actual rate structure, no one clear on who owns the programming scope, or a single-vendor setup that creates a real point of failure if something goes wrong. Evaluate your EMS early. Before underwriting, before permitting, before you've locked in equipment. Clip below. Recording in the comments.

📢 A federal court recently vacated IRS Notice 2025-42, restoring the Five Percent Safe Harbor as a valid way to establish "beginning of construction" for wind and solar projects over 1.5 MW under the 45Y/48E tax credits. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gJYxRpSU

Two different battery chemistry bets that caught our eye this month. 1 – General Motors is moving on sodium-ion for grid-scale storage, targeting commercialization by 2028. Sodium is domestically sourceable, the cells run cool enough to skip active cooling and fire suppression hardware, and GM says its prototypes hold up at 55°C. This is a near-term chemistry aimed directly at data center and utility-scale demand. 2 – CATL, meanwhile, named lithium-air as its long-term technology bet, with a theoretical energy density around 12,000 Wh/kg (roughly gasoline-level, and 4x+ current lithium-ion). CATL frames this as a decade+ horizon: near-term on existing chemistries, mid-term on solid-state, long-term on lithium-air. Neither really changes a procurement decision being made today for batteries, but they mark where the two large players in this space are placing their R&D bets. Source links in comments.

Our CEO, Alex Shoer, joined Bryony Worthington on the Cleaning Up Podcast to talk about what a decade building renewable energy businesses in China actually taught him — and what applies (and doesn't) back in the U.S. market. Take a listen (Apple or Spotify) or watch with the link below. Some highlights: China's subsidy playbook and why it worked, the Ford-CATL partnership, and why storage is starting to matter more than solar generation on its own. The U.S. doesn't need to compete directly with China on LFP battery cell manufacturing, sometimes the best way forward is to partner or license IP but it is wise to look at what technology is on the horizon and where the US has a strong competitive advantage! FULL EPISODE: https://lnkd.in/gX_NNu4M https://lnkd.in/gwWvtGrU

Great to see, DOE just published a breakdown of why microgrids are becoming standard infrastructure for large load interconnection. NERC's 2025 State of Reliability report found that battery energy storage in Texas provided 100% of the grid's frequency regulation capacity. Check out DOE's simple example here. A data center needs 5 MW but the existing line only carries 4 MW. Instead of a multi-year transmission upgrade, a microgrid (often storage-anchored) covers the 1 MW gap and the facility comes online on a fraction of the timeline. Source: Department of Energy | Energy Additions and the Unique Role of Microgrids (https://lnkd.in/ewPdtjn4) #BESS #EnergyStorage #Microgrids #GridReliability

PJM ordered data centers across the Mid-Atlantic to fire up backup generators this week to keep the grid from buckling under record heat. It’s worth noting, those backup systems run mostly on diesel and gas, dispatching more emissions into residential areas at the exact moment air quality and grid stress are both peaking. Our take: This week is a live case study in what underbuilt storage costs a grid, and this is the strongest case yet for co-located and behind-the-meter storage as standard infrastructure. Facilities with on-site BESS capacity had dispatchable capacity already sitting on-site, ready to respond to price signals or reliability calls without waiting on a DOE order.

Battery energy storage is evolving rapidly—but scaling the industry requires more than better technology. It takes thoughtful policy, innovative business models, and collaboration across the energy ecosystem. Our Managing Partner, Alex Shoer, had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion at the 2026 Battery Innovation Summit featuring: 🔹 Sean Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Policy, SEIA 🔹 Adrienne Pierce, CEO, New Sun Road 🔹 Sam Maslin, CEO, Eddy Energy Together, they explored the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of battery and energy storage—from technology development and deployment to operations, policy, and commercialization. A big thank you to The Battery Saloon and 9Zero for hosting an outstanding event, and to the sponsors who helped bring the summit together, including J.P. Morgan, Perkins Coie, GridVest, Noon Energy, Idemitsu Americas Holdings Corporation, and Ion Gates Consulting. If you're involved in energy storage, project development, or the clean energy transition, this discussion is well worth watching. ▶️ Watch the full panel: https://lnkd.in/gfVkRv6U Learn more about the Battery Innovation Summit: https://lnkd.in/ga4NVGPd #BatteryStorage #EnergyStorage #BESS #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #GridVest #EnergyTransition #BatteryInnovation #SEIA #ClimateTech

Evaluating battery storage equipment is more involved than most renewable energy developers & EPCs expect going in. We put together a breakdown of how to think through it, going off real-world experience and project track records for commissioning. See what criteria our team uses on the ground, with considerations around the shift from CapEx to lifecycle cost, where procurement decisions tend to go wrong, and seven key areas that actually matter before you commit to purchasing batteries, inverters and EMS systems. See our guide here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gm2weP8G #BESS #EnergyStorage #BESSProcurement #RenewableEnergy