Stem is a global leader in AI-driven clean energy solutions and services. As the first pure play energy company on the New York Stock Exchange (“STEM”), Stem helps partners and customers maximize the economic, environmental, and resiliency value of energy assets and portfolios. Learn more here.
Athena leverages best-in-class data engineering, forecasting, and optimization to maximize ROI and performance for every system in our network. The platform consists of scalable applications as you grow, including Analyzer™ – for site simulation and revenue modeling data; Bidder™ – an automated market participation tool; Supervisor™ – to view system operation and real-time performance; Explorer™ – to review energy savings & system performance data; and PowerTrack – to monitor, control, and optimize clean energy portfolios. Learn more here.
The latest advancements for clean energy technology includes Stem’s newly unified enterprise energy optimization platform, Athena®, that works with solar, storage, EV charging, and other renewable and distributed energy projects. Benefits include increased revenue, automated market participation, monitor tools, and real-time performance. Learn more here.
Stem helps hundreds of partners and customers successfully achieve revenue and sustainability goals with clean energy while building a cleaner, more resilient electricity grid. Read Stem’s case studies here.
Stem’s culture embodies diversity & inclusion beyond the traditional facets of gender, ethnicity, age, disabilities, and sexual orientation. Our values include prioritizing diverse experience, personality, communication, workstyles, and more. Stem is currently hiring for all departments. View our open roles here.
When you sign up for Stem’s monthly newsletter, you’ll be up-to-date on all the latest news, announcements, webinars, and newly published content. Sign up here.
Stem’s solar EPC and project developer partners that deploy smart energy storage systems receive many benefits, including a differentiated storage offering from a market leader; end-to-end project support; access to the highest quality hardware; lower procurement costs with volume-based pricing; procured products from Stem’s existing distributor partner; easily modeled solar plus storage and standalone storage projects; and access free training materials through Stem University and our Partner Content Library. Get started here.
When you add battery storage to a solar project you gain control over solar generation and distribution – allowing energy to be used when it’s most valuable. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (ACT), solar EPCs and project developers can leverage incentives like Standalone Storage Investment Tax Credits (ITC) and Solar Product Tax Credits (PTC). Learn more about solar + storage here.
Dozens of Fortune 500 companies – including Whole Foods, Amazon, Walmart, Adobe, and UPS – all trust Stem’s expert software, hardware, and services to seamlessly integrate clean energy assets with corporate control systems and the grid. Learn more here.
All Stem partners are eligible to gain access to Stem University, where you can become an expert in energy optimization solutions and energy storage by viewing short, interactive learning material, testing your knowledge, leveraging energy market summaries, and accessing helpful content. Already a partner? Apply today.
As part of the IRA, project developers can receive up to 70% of the project’s cost through ITCs. To reach the full 70%, incentives need to be stacked. For example, by using Stem’s interactive map, you can see the areas best suited for stacked incentives by overlapping Energy Communities with Low Income Communities and Tribal Lands. Access Map
Stem developed an interactive map that displays energy communities that are prime for solar retrofit projects. Solar developers, asset owners, and EPCs can use this map to capitalize on the Investment Tax Credits made available through the Inflation Reduction Act. Access Map
The different layers of data that comprise Stem’s IRA map are derived from several different federal government agencies, such as the Energy Information Administration, the Department of the Interior, and the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant, Communities, and Economic Revitalization. Links to their respective reports are in the map. Access Map
The benefits of adding battery storage to EV chargers include reduced EV charging costs; reduced demand charges; improved reliability and resilience for your chargers and the local grid; increased EV charging capacity; and increased renewable energy use and security for the local neighborhood. A battery energy storage system can support the electrical grid by discharging from the battery when the demand for EV charging exceeds the grid’s capacity — and then the battery can recharge via renewable energy during low demand. To learn more, download Stem’s eBook, 5 Keys for Building a Flexible, Integrated eMobility Strategy
California and New York utilities are leading the way when it comes to installing EV charging stations through Make Ready-style policies. Through programs like this, entities can earn incentives that will offset a large portion of or, in some cases, all of the infrastructure costs associated with preparing a site for EV charger installation. Read More
The MISO market, which stands for Midcontinent Independent System Operator, refers to the regional transmission organization responsible for managing electricity transmission in 15 U.S. states, including Illinois. MISO’s primary function is to ensure the reliable operation of the electrical grid and facilitate competitive wholesale electricity markets. It plays a crucial role in managing the flow of electricity and coordinating the supply and demand of electricity within its region.
The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is a comprehensive legislative package enacted in Illinois. It aims to address climate change, promote clean energy, and create equitable job opportunities in the state.
The Illinois Distributed Generation Rebate, also known as the DG Rebate, is an incentive program that offers financial support for deploying renewable energy assets. Under this program, solar capacity receives a rebate of $250 per kilowatt (kW), while storage capacity receives a rebate of $250 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). These rebates help offset the upfront costs of installing solar and storage systems. With the DG Rebate, commercial solar+storage projects can achieve a rate of return of over 20% with limited downside risk, making it an attractive option for renewable energy investments.
In MISO auctions, a vertical demand curve is employed to determine capacity pricing. This curve represents that capacity is free or expensive, with limited pricing flexibility. The market can experience rapid fluctuations, where capacity prices can quickly switch between the two extremes. This unique characteristic of the vertical demand curve in MISO auctions distinguishes it from other markets that may have more gradual price changes based on supply and demand dynamics. This means that end users in MISO can be subject to very volatile rates, which storage is uniquely positioned to help offset.
Title 24 is California’s building energy code that affects all new construction within the state. The most recent update requires all new commercial and mixed-use developments to obtain a minimum required amount of solar PV and storage based on Climate Zone and conditioned floor area. Read how to leverage Stem’s Title 24 expertise here | Use Stem’s Title 24 Calculator
All new commercial buildings that apply for a building permit on or after January 1, 2023 must comply with the Title 24 solar+storage requirements.
Read how to leverage Stem’s Title 24 expertise here | Use Stem’s Title 24 Calculator
Building energy codes help ensure construction and installations achieve a minimum level of energy efficiency for both residential and nonresidential buildings.
Read how to leverage Stem’s Title 24 expertise here | Use Stem’s Title 24 Calculator
Stem is the most experienced provider and operator of commercial storage systems in the United States. Developers partner with Stem for best-in-class service and expertise in system design, procurement, deployment, and asset management. Stem’s Athena-AI software delivers maximum savings for the entire lifecycle of a solar + storage project.
Read how to leverage Stem’s Title 24 expertise here | Use Stem’s Title 24 Calculator
Option S is a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) tariff designed for customers with storage. Customers’ demand charges are split between a monthly demand charge and a daily demand charge. The daily demand charge, billed according to a customer’s daily peak demand, creates an additional cost savings opportunity for energy storage systems (ESS). Energy charges are consistent with those under PG&E’s solar-friendly Option R tariff. Read More (PDF)
Option S is ideal for “peaky” loads with low load factors. Examples of optimal load types include EV charging, aggregates and mining, heavy industrial, food processing, and arenas and event centers. Sites with peak demand over 400kW are most likely to see substantial savings.
Option S is available to all existing B-19 Voluntary, B-19, and B-20 PG&E customers, as well as customers on legacy C&I rates that are eligible to transition to the “B” rate. It is available to bundled, Direct Access (DA), or Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) customers. All customers on the Option S tariff must have an ESS onsite, and the ESS inverter capacity must be greater than 10% of the site peak load. Read More (PDF)
By enrolling customers in Option S, Stem has reduced customers’ utility bills by 10-35% and generated a 30% return on investment (ROI) on the ESS. Stem uses our proprietary modeling tools to estimate utility bill savings based on your specific load profile and the ideal storage system for your site. Contact Stem to receive an evaluation of your utility bill savings under Option S.
Stem’s Athena® smart energy software identifies both monthly and daily demand peaks to maximize savings under Option S. To reduce daily demand charges, Athena accurately predicts more frequent site peaks and then optimizes battery dispatch during peak periods. This unlocks substantial additional savings that are not possible under tariffs where demand charges are assessed solely on a monthly basis. Read More (PDF)
Enrollment on the Option S rate is capped at 150MW in PG&E’s service area, with separate 50MW caps for each of the three rate categories: B19 Voluntary; B19 Mandatory; and B20. To help stakeholders view how enrollment by PG&E customers in Option S is tracking toward the cap, the tables on PG&E’s site show information on current and reserved Option S capacity. The tables will be updated monthly until enrollment of each rate B19 Voluntary, B19 Mandatory, and B20 reaches a cap capacity of 50MW.
Customers may reserve their opportunity to enroll in Option S by submitting their interconnection agreement to PG&E. Enrollment in Option S occurs once the ESS has received Permission to Operate (PTO) from PG&E. Contact Stem today to learn how we can help you design a project that meets Option S requirements and delivers maximum savings.
A key part of the solar industry’s success has been widespread adoption of rooftop systems by homeowners, C&I businesses, enterprises, and public-sector organizations. Given that new technologies can be initially expensive, utility customers were incentivized to adopt rooftop solar through NEM rates. This would allow solar systems to export excess energy back to the utility at the full retail electricity rate. In effect, a solar customer’s monthly utility bill would be based only on the net energy consumed.
Utilities and some ratepayer advocates contend that solar customers are not paying their fair share for access to the grid and that Net Energy Metering leads to cross subsidization. Essentially, this suggests that those customers who cannot afford rooftop solar are paying for grid services on behalf of those who can afford solar. The CPUC’s proposed solution is a new rate structure called NEM 3.0. It introduces a “Grid Participation Charge” that greatly increases what rooftop solar owners would pay for use of the grid, and it reduces the value that solar owners receive for exporting to the grid. Solar proponents agree that NEM needs to be modified but argue that the reduction in rate value should be more gradual and not as draconian. And, they believe the Grid Participation Charge should be less severe.
Passed in 2014, Assembly Bill (AB) 327 requires the CPUC to develop a NEM policy that is cost-effective for all customers while ensuring that rooftop solar continues “to grow sustainably.” AB 327 did not, however, define what “to grow sustainably” meant. The CPUC must define this term through the NEM 3.0 proceeding and apply the definition of “to grow sustainably” as a critical metric to evaluate each NEM 3.0 proposal. (Source.)
The proposed Net Energy Metering decision is highly controversial and is expected to halve the residential solar market, according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie. However, the C&I market is less impacted as neither the solar nor storage asset is required to pay the Grid Participation Charge. And while the value of the export credit is significantly reduced, the majority of production at C&I sites is not exported and is instead used for onsite consumption. Solar self-consumption is likely to increase if a smart energy storage system is added, which is one of the main objectives of the order in the first place.
Although the C&I sector will be less impacted as a whole relative to the residential sector, there will be specific C&I solar projects that have lower returns under NEM 3.0. For relevant C&I projects, energy storage can mitigate the impact of Net Energy Metering by storing solar generation that would have otherwise been exported and shifting it to more favorable time periods. This is part of the intent of the CPUC decision: to incent new storage development.
C&I storage systems can deliver value under NEM 3.0 via “solar self-consumption,” while also providing many other value streams, such as demand charge management, demand response participation, SGIP compliance, and GHG reduction. Stem is the most experienced C&I storage provider in California, and our Athena AI-driven energy software is the industry’s leading platform for optimizing across all of these various value streams.
C&I solar developers should consider pairing energy storage with all of their solar projects since energy storage is the best solution to future-proof solar investments. NEM 3.0 is the latest chapter in an ongoing trend of utility rates becoming less and less favorable for distributed solar. A few years ago, the CA IOUs shifted their peak time periods to evening hours when solar is less productive, which reduced solar value. Today, the proposed Net Energy Metering decision will significantly reduce export compensation. Policies will continue to evolve while utilities typically implement significant rate changes every 3 to 5 years. Storage is the key to ensuring solar continues to deliver value, regardless of how NEM 3.0, or any other future rate structure, is implemented.
Adding energy storage to solar projects has become increasingly key to maximizing solar project value. But storage is different and fundamentally more complicated than solar, adding project risk and potential deployment delays. With our industry-leading expertise and best-in-class software, Stem works closely with developers to enhance solar plus storage offerings through optimized design, streamlined procurement, and customized deal support.
The guidance on this issue is unsettled in the energy industry. While the federal tax code allows for a battery energy storage system to qualify for the ITC when paired with solar (provided it is charged 75% of the time from the solar asset), the IRS has previously only dealt with this question in Private Letter Rulings (PLRs). To date, the IRS has claimed that a storage asset could be added to an existing solar asset and be eligible to claim the ITC but only if it is done less than one year after the solar asset went into operation and is at least 75% charged by the solar asset. Consequently, it is best for any retrofit project to seek the guidance of a tax lawyer before proceeding to develop such a project.
C&I customers are already susceptible to additional charges – like demand charges – from their respective utilities, whereas residential solar customers are not. The CPUC attempts to be equitable in the way it subjects these respective classes to new charges.
Originally, the CPUC was expected to rule on this proposed decision on January 27, 2022. However, the proposed decision never made it onto that meeting’s docket, and it is not expected to be ruled on now until sometime in mid-to-late February 2022 at the earliest. The CPUC has a new Chairman and another new Commissioner who are trying to better understand the impacts of NEM 3.0 on all stakeholders. In the end, this could lead to either a final or alternative decision.
California has been a pioneer in rooftop solar and is home to approximately 40% of the nation’s residential solar capacity. (Source.) However, there is fear among the solar industry that this proceeding is being closely watched by other states and could lead to similar developments across the country.
Solar Self-Consumption is when an Energy Storage Solution can intelligently store excess energy and then determine when to use it during expensive Time of Use rates. Read More
Solar is not effective at reducing demand charges. A dispatchable resource, like energy storage, is needed to address this growing component of customer bills. Read More
To help maintain value, storage paired with solar can consume extra solar generation that would have otherwise been exported and can discharge during times when energy is more valuable than the NEM compensation rate. Read More
Sites can discharge stored energy during the new on-peak hours to offset the site’s energy draw from the grid and reduce costs. Read More
A microgrid is a relatively small, controllable power system composed of one or more generation units connected to nearby users that can be operated with, or independently from, the local bulk transmission system, typically a local utility company. Microgrids can disconnect from the main grid to function autonomously in “island mode.” Read More
Customers with electric loads from buildings or electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that could be powered by islanded generation units can benefit from a microgrid. End users who benefit from a microgrid include municipalities (e.g., WWTP), campuses, and commercial & industrial customers, federal agencies, and electric cooperatives. Read More
Stem’s microgrid solution consists of an advanced energy storage system (ESS), a custom-built microgrid controller, and our Athena® AI-driven software – all integral components of a clean energy intelligence platform. Read More
Incentives are available on a regional basis for energy storage projects. Click through to see where Stem’s expertise can help leverage your position. Read More
Stem’s energy experts guide you through a detailed and technical design process to: appropriate sizing to ensure your microgrid can meet demand; ensure a grounding transformer is used to support single phase loads; apply ground fault protection for island situations; PV inverters should have modbus communication and should have the ability to be curtailed remotely; and employ load management devices such as relays or integration to manage the load. Read More
The manufacturing industry can benefit from energy storage in the following ways:
The transportation & logistics industry can benefit from energy storage in the following ways:
The retail industry can benefit from energy storage through Stem’s:
College campuses can benefit from energy storage in the following ways:
Construction plants benefit from energy storage solutions in several ways:
Stadiums & sport complexes benefit from energy storage and their smart energy strategies can also help benefit the community to:
The hotel industry can benefit from energy storage in the following ways:
Electrical contractors have much to benefit when they partner with Stem:
An energy storage solution (ESS) can benefit municipalities to:
