Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and the NEC with Bill Brooks and Sean White Part 4

In this podcast we have Bill Brooks and Sean talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, with emphasis on interconnections, including supply-side and load side connections.

Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.

To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com. 

Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.

Supply-side connections (source connections to a service), 705.13 Power Control Systems (Energy Management Systems), ampacity of service conductors are allowed to have ampacity less than the main breaker in chapter III of the NEC, 200A PV system on 100A service with power control system, conductor sizing for supply-side connection,

Article 230 Services, houses not smaller than 100A or old services less than 100A, supply-side overcurrent protection locations, cable limiter distances, cable currents just handle fault currents (not overloads), 250.25, 250.24, bonding supply-side connection like a service required, two single points of system grounding, load-side connections, dedicated overcurrent protection device and disconnect, backfeeding a Tesla at 70W, busbars, 120% rule, suitable for backfeed, feeders, Hawaiian tie-in, tap rules, 10-foot tap rule, 25-foot tap rule, synchronous generators, busbars, 705.12(B)(3)(1) 100% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(2) 120% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(3) sum rule or sum of the branch circuit breakers, two single pole breakers with sum rule, 705.12(B)(3)(4) center fed 120% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(5) engineering supervision/multiampacity busbars and the 200% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(6) feed-through connectors, switchgear, 705.13 Power Control Systems with CTs, power control system certifications, allows more power than 120% rule (705.13 was re-named in 2023 NEC as Energy Management Systems), Article 625 sequencer for EVs, no-export is a power control system, export set at certain kW, physical protection of a Powerwall, residential code vehicle impact protection for ESS in garage, wheel stops, bollards, preventing overloading panel, smart panels, smart load centers.

Note: for visuals, download the NEC presentation at www.solarSEAN.com and look for the pdf downloads.

Links:

Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com

www.solarSEAN.com

www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN 

2020 NEC radio 690

2020 NEC radio 690 was originally published on Dec 30, 2019, but it did not post to other platforms, so we are reposting it.

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and the NEC with Bill Brooks and Sean White Part 3

In this podcast we have Bill Brooks talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, with emphasis on the National Electrical Code (NEC) and stand-alone/islanding systems.

Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.

To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com. 

Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.

Flow batteries, fuel cells, Article 692 Fuel Cell Systems, electrolyte, zinc, fuel cell maintenance, Article 710 Stand-Alone Systems, plaque or directory, manual load control, stand-alone mode, automatic controller, multiwire branch circuits, 690.10, 120/240V theory, direct PV systems, dc micrograms, functionally grounded, grounded, ungrounded, reference grounded, resistor grounded systems, positively grounded systems, nighttime depolarizer, impedance ground for ac (resistance ground for dc), electric vehicle power transfer system vs. electric vehicle charging system, sequencer, LG Chem vs. LG home battery prices, Fukushima, Nissan Leaf in Japan bidirectional charging, zero net export, overcurrent protection devices, fault currents, ampere interrupting capacity, kA, excel spreadsheet fault current calculator, microgrid interconnect device (MID), Article 702, automatic transfer equipment, load management, lighting controllers, backup power system, optional standby systems, generator systems, automatic transfer switch, manual transfer switch.

Links:

Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com

www.solarSEAN.com

www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN 

Celebrating the Release of the HeatSpring 2023 NEC class with NEC Article 690 Part VI Source Connections

We have just released the long awaited 2023 NEC class on HeatSpring. We spent more time making this class than any other class, so I am sure you will love it. We have Sean White and Bill Brooks going over many of the fun details and Code changes in this course. You can learn more here and some of the lessons are free samples.

https://www.heatspring.com/courses/30-hour-2023-nec-pv-energy-storage-building-and-fire-codes/?aff_id=t3nlgw

 

690 Part VI is a shorter Part of Article 690 and the end of 690 was dramatically reduced and rearranged in the 2023 version of the NEC.

 

Here are some of the topics covered:

 

690.56 Identification of Power Sources

690.59 Connection to Other Sources

690.72 Self-Regulated PV Charge Control (neat silicon science here)

 

This podcast is mostly a reading from the 3rd Edition of PV and the NEC by Sean White and Bill Brooks. You can get this book here:

 

www.amazon.com/PV-NEC-Sean-White-dp-1032019182/dp/1032019182/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

 

Also in this chapter we have consolidated all of the renewable energy labeling requirements. We have a page with all of the images of all of the relevant articles, so you should check it out.

 

Thanks for listening!

 

You can find out more at www.solarSEAN.com

OhmConnect’s VPP model with Matt Dusterberg

OhmConnect is a virtual power plant (VPP) provider and helps balance the electricity grid. Will incentivize people to reduce usage at certain times.

VPP definition of OhmConnect“Collection of 100s or thousands of devices that they are controlling all independently, but coordinating in a fashion that the grid can see it.”

Topics covered:

SunPower relationship
Demand Response
Thermostat control
TV control
Fridge control
Looking at VPP as reducing demand rather than increasing supply
Getting paid to take stuff offline
Rewards
Virtual currency
Gift cards, prizes
Smart plug
Grid stability
NEM 3.0
Resource adequacy
CCAs (Community Choice Aggregation)
Blackouts
Negative energy
DSGS (demand side grid support)
Power and energy
kWh
705.13 Energy Management Systems
Power Control Systems
UL 916
FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Baselines
Bitcoin Mining
Pacific Gas and Electric
Clean Power San Francisco
Deregulated Grid
ISO = Independent System Operator
Leveraging smart meter data

Text messages

Google, Honeywell, Sinse

Grid stability

Leveraging new asset (energy usage)
Moss Landing ESS

DOE report need for 160 GW of storage

Curtailing $1 Billion per year of solar energy in CA

4 wheeled ESS

Value of discharging devices back into grid
120V Lithium-ion battery assisted induction stove
Moduly small stand-alone battery unit
www.moduly.io
Smarter E
Intersolar
2024 Year of the VPP

Matt Dusterberg
www.OhmConnect.com
100% clean energy for everyone

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean

Get Grounded! and Bonded! A reading from PV and the NEC on 690 Chapter VI Bonding and Grounding, Based on the 2023 NEC

This podcast is a reading from Chapter 6 of PV and the NEC 3rd Edition based on the 2023 NEC by Sean White and Bill Brooks. You can buy the book on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/amFqNko

 

Bonding and Grounding is something that causes a lot of arguments and this book will get to the bottom of it. 

 

Topics:
690 Part V Bonding and Grounding
690.41 PV System DC Circuit Grounding and Protection
 
Grounding Electrode
Grounding Electrode Conductor (GEC)<
Equipment Grounding Conductor (EGC)
Ground
Grounded Conductor
Solidly Grounded
Functionally Grounded
Ground Fault
Ground Fault Detector-Interrupter (GFDI)
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
 
690.42 Point of PV System DC Circuit Grounding Connection
690.43 Equipment Grounding and Bonding
 
UL 2703
UL 3703
 
250.97 Bonding for Over 250V to Ground
Table 250.122 EGC Based on OCPD
690.45 Size of Equipment Grounding Conductors
690.47 Grounding Electrode System
 
Additional Electrodes vs. Auxiliary Electrodes
 
To learn more and get all kinds of free information, go to www.solarSEAN.com

Speeding the Energy Transition: Sean White on the Clean Power Hour Podcast with Tim Montague and John Weaver

Sean White featured on the Clean Power Hour podcast with Tim Montague's co-host John Weaver on September 28, 2023. We are reposting this podcast, which you can also listen to on Tim Montague's awesome Clean Power Hour podcast, which you can find at www.cleanpowerhour.com
Sean White was at the University of Colorado in Denver during this podcast.

We had a great time chatting to one another and discussing:
1. The events at the just concluded 2023 RE+ Convection
2. White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns
3. We talk about the Erthos technology and what it means to the clean energy revolution
4. Companies that were present at the RE+ and the new upcoming technology

Check out Tim Montague on:
Website: www.cleanpowerhour.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@cleanpowerhour
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tgmontague
LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/company/clean-power-hour?trk=public_post_follow-view-profile
Email: tim@cleanpowerhour.com

Tim Montague's co-host is:

John Fitzgerald Weaver
Known online as “The Commercial Solar Guy,” Solar professional and project developer. John Fitzgerald Weaver works as the General Manager of CSG Developers LLC and a technical writer for pv magazine USA, where he covers solar industry data, equipment and manufacturers, trends, regulations and much more!

Reach John Fitzgerald Weaver here!
LinkedIn Account: www.linkedin.com/in/johnfitzgeraldweaver/
Company Website: www.commercialsolarguy.com/
RSS Feed: www.commercialsolarguy.com/news/

For more information on solar, storage and everything else, go to www.solarSEAN.com

Hydrogen RC race cars at RE+ with Max Accordino

If you were walking around RE+ in Vegas, you may have noticed a track and all of these remote control race cars and wondered what that was about. That was the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix Pro (H2GP Pro)!

 

Here is what we talked about:

 

Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix Pro = H2GP Pro

STEM kits

STEAM Science Technology Engineering Art Math

RE+ Las Vegas Remote Control Race Cars

Hydrogen Element

Hydrogen Fires

Lead Acid Batteries making Hydrogen

Fuel Cells vs. Internal Combustion Engines with Hydrogen

Toyota Hydrogen Combustion Engine

JTB Hydrogen Engine

Fuel Cells Need Clean Air

Combustion of Hydrogen Makes Water

Stoichiometry 2 H2 + O2 = H2O

Toyota Murai

Electrolysis is same Stoichiometry

CPAP Machine is Electrolyzer making Oxygen and Getting Rid of Hydrogen

Hydrogen Colors

Green Hydrogen = Electrolysis (electricity and water)

Brown Hydrogen

Grey Hydrogen = Natural Gas Derived = 95% of H2 in the World

Steam Reformation = Preexisting Hydrocarbons to make Hydrogen, Such as Municipal Waste

Big Bang and Hydrogen Atoms

Landfill Gas to Make Hydrogen

Carbon Capture

Turquoise Hydrogen = Pyrolyses

Blue Hydrogen = SMR Steam Methane Reformation and Carbon Capture

World Economy Forum

Round Trip Efficiency of Hydrogen with Green Hydrogen 35%

Hydrogen is Lighter than Lithium-Ion

Hydrogen Electric Airplane

Rocket Equation

World’s Record for Lithium-Ion Battery

Electric Trucking

Autonomous Driving

Cheating with race cars design

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain

Bulgaria Team Underdog

Los Angeles Team Wins

Telemetry Systems

Hacking other Team’s Telemetry Systems

Anti Hacking Software

Danika Patrick and NASCAR

Formula E with Lithium-Ion vs. Fuel Cells

Symbio from France Fuel Cells

Hydrogen is the Future of Racing

Sustainable Diesel = Diesel Made From Corn

F1 to Hydrogen

Explosions with Storing any Energy

Recycling

Critical Mass Bike Riders Car Explosion

One Less Car

Horizon Educational Global Headquarters in Czech Republic

H2GP Foundation

501c3

Grants

Sponsorship

STEM Kits with Electrolyzer and Fuel Cell

Remote Control

Wind Solar Ethanol

Solar Hydrogen Science Kits

Pinewood Derby

Rubber Band Energy Storage

Free Hydrogen Curriculum

Wind, Solar, Ethanol Science Kits

Flinstone power

 

You can find them at:

www.horizoneducational.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/horizoneducational/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HorizonEducational/

LinkedIn: cz.linkedin.com/in/max-accordino

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCYHcXEZdZp8Zw2kmr3_I2Fw

 

To find out more and educate yourself, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean

Vehicle to Grid (V2G & V2X) David Slutzky Fermata Energy Founder and Chairman of the Board

Learn about bidirectional EV charging/discharging with former White House and EPA policy advisor Clinton Administration, former County Supervisor in Virginia, Faculty at University of Virginia 23 years, Commerce, Architecture, Engineering who has a Philosophy degree and is an entrepreneur who started multiple companies. David Slutzky started Fermata Energy in 2010.

 

Here are some of the topics we covered:

V2G Vehicle to Grid

V1G smart charging

V2X Vehicle to Everything

V2B Vehicle to Building 

V2L Vehicle to Load

Behind the meter

Load management<

Power quality

VARs

CAISO

Independent System Operator

Grid vs. Utility is different

ISO is grid made up of different utilities

VPP

Duke and Ford F-150 Lightning

TEPCO

Fukushima brought on V2X

CHAdeMO protocol

Nissan Leaf bidirectional in 2013

Offboard DC charger

Software platform

Vehicle battery comes free with leather seats and air conditioning

EV battery warranty with V2X

AI software

Data science<

Grid facing market opportunities

Vehicle to grid services provider

Defining 100% state of charge (SOC)

2000 Ford Ranger EV

Setting parameters of SOC to protect battery

LFP NCA NMC

4.2 volts per cell (VPC) at full charge

Child labor in the Congo and cobalt

Climate

Early adopters

Storage in EVs dwarfs stationary grid storage

Beacon power flywheels

University of Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

UL testing of bidirectional EV chargers

UL 1741 SB

UL 1741 SA

UL 1741

Siemens

CCS

North American Charging Standard = Tesla

<5A continuous = 10,000kWh/yr at 240V

Curtailing over $1B/yr of solar and wind in California

Discharge behind the meter to reduce demand charges

$200-$300 per month with 15kW EV to grid with Leaf

Utility demand response programs

National Grid summer demand response program<

Bidirectional Nissan Leaf makes in 57 hours in a summer for $4500 in the evenings (after work)

Onboard and offboard inverter/chargers

EV1

Rav 4 EV

Chevy S-10 EV

Avcon

GBT charging standard in China

Chao G charging is CHAdeMO in China

VW Dieselgate

Self certify

Electrify America

Chademo 3.0

Father of EVs in Japan

99.3% uptime of EV chargers in Japan

Much worse uptime in US

SGIP (Self Generation Incentive Program) subsidies in California should apply to EV to grid

Over 90% of EV charging happens at home

Interconnection agreement of inverter is probably going to be a stationary inverter and not a roaming onboard inverter

Weight of onboard inverter

Using big inverter that spins wheels to feed the grid

Raising capital and talking to oil companies

Panasonic

Chevron

Oil companies future is renewables and are important sources of capital

Yogaville

Buckingham County

Dominion Pipeline

 

David Slutzky 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-slutzky-2a77875

Fermata Energy 

https://fermataenergy.com/

 

To learn more, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean

Terence Parker gets surprised by Johnny Weiss, Solar PV History!

This podcast is full of solar history, so we give a shout out to the solar historians 100 and 1000 years from now!! Hey people who have not been born yet! Check us out!!

Terence and Johnny have been doing solar PV since the 1980s and have known each other since the early days.

Terence tells the story how he was on a small airplane in the South Pacific in the 80s wearing a solar shirt and Ward Bower, the inventor of the grid-tied inverter, tapped him on the shoulder, which started his solar career full steam. Before that he was a marine biologist trying to figure out how to get electricity on a 12 acre island, so he could study oysters. The moral of this story is to always wear a solar T-shirt.

Johnny Weiss is famous for starting Solar Energy International (SEI) in 1991 and has been working with PV modules since the mid 1980s.

The story of how we decided to do this podcast goes... Johnny invited me to see the SEI campus a few weeks ago and I asked him to be on the podcast. I told him how Terence Parker was going to be on it, and he had great things to say about Terence, so we decided to make Johnny the surprise guest. Johnny was very helpful at helping me interview Terence, so he is probably going to help me interview more historical figures.

Here are some of the names we dropped and things we talked about:

Arco Solar

MREA

SEI

Bob Ramlow

Solis

Solar Bridge

Ken Olsen

Home Power

Richard Perez

Borneo

Sri Lanka

Brazil

World Bank

Sandia

Unisolar

Out of the jungle

Ward Bower

Walked the PCH

Diving for oysters

Remote work

Set Long Beach Convention Center on fire (need a follow up podcast on this one)

Vestas

Offshore wind

Small wind

Mick Sagrillo

Bob-O Schultze

LinkedIn pages

 

Terence Parker (not to be confused with Trey Parker of South Park)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/terence-parker-2844a15/

 

Johnny Weiss (same last name as mine, but in a different language):

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-weiss-b025106/

 

To find out more, go to www.SolarSEAN.com and get NABCEP certified!