The installation of battery energy storage in behind-the-meter applications is poised for exponential growth over the next few years. Batteries can be combined with solar to form grid-connected microgrids meaning that these assets can be used for economic benefit when the grid is operating and then provide resiliency during grid outages. The key to making such hybrid systems economically viable is to stack revenue from multiple applications, such as peak demand charge reduction, energy arbitrage, providing ancillary services to the grid, and participating in demand response programs, among others.
In this month’s Solar Works for Illinois webinar, we are grateful to have Travis Simpkins of muGrid as our guest speaker. Download slides | Watch video | Future Episodes
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Travis Simpkins, PhD
Dr. Travis Simpkins is a recognized expert in the design, modeling and economic optimization of microgrids. He is currently Chief Technical Officer of muGrid Analytics, which provides design, analysis, and economic optimize of renewable energy and energy storage projects to developers, utilities and component manufacturers using their proprietary Redcloud energy optimization platform. Prior to muGrid, Travis was a Senior Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) where he analyzed microgrids at dozens of private and public sites. Travis holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a certificate of Financial Engineering from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Case Western Reserve University. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and has published numerous technical papers in a variety of fields.