The shift toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future is well underway, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are playing a pivotal role. As demand for storage solutions grows, so does the complexity of deploying them effectively, profitably, and on time. Every successful BESS project is the result of hundreds of informed decisions made across its lifecycle—each with the potential to significantly impact the project’s long-term performance and financial return.
This is where experience matters.
The People Who Power Stem is a new blog series designed to take you behind the scenes with the experts driving energy storage success. Each article will highlight a different stage of the BESS project lifecycle and the real people behind the strategy, engineering, implementation, and optimization who make those stages successful. Their experience spans numerous decades, countless projects, and a range of energy markets, and we’re excited to share the insights, lessons, and best practices they’ve learned along the way.
Why a Series on the BESS Lifecycle?
Battery energy storage is more than just OEM equipment. It’s a complex system of technology, strategy, regulation, and operations that must work seamlessly together to deliver value to both to the grid and to your bottom line.
Too often, organizations entering the storage space underestimate the challenges and overestimate the simplicity–leaving newcomers and experienced market participants alike frustrated, delayed, or underpaid due to issues that could’ve been avoided. The reality is that a single misstep early in development can ripple into costly delays and underperformance later on. That’s why expert guidance matters.
Decades of combined experience have shown our professional services team how comprehensive, real-world support can shape a project’s trajectory. This series is our way of making that expertise accessible: helping developers, utilities, asset owners, and operators avoid common pitfalls and make smarter decisions throughout their storage journey.
What You Can Expect
Each article in this series will take a deeper dive into a key stage of the BESS lifecycle.
This includes:
- Early-stage development and engineering – Understanding site constraints, regulatory hurdles, and revenue potential before making any major investments.
- Project definition and battery procurement– Navigating evolving technologies, OEM vendor landscapes, and integration challenges to ensure long-term flexibility and performance.
- Construction and commissioning – Avoiding delays and ensuring seamless transitions from design, deployment, and operation.
- Operations and optimization– Leveraging detailed analytics and market insights to maximize performance and unlock new revenue streams over the lifetime of the system.
We’ll also answer the questions we’re hearing most from clients, share the red flags we look for during project reviews, and the real-world strategies that have helped our clients succeed.
The Value of Expert Partnership
Designing and deploying a BESS project isn’t a plug-and-play endeavor. It requires deep knowledge of market dynamics, technical constraints, interconnection procedures, financial modeling, and regulatory compliance–all of which are constantly evolving.
Our consulting team brings decades of cross-functional experience across all these areas.
That diversity of perspective is what allows us to see around corners and anticipate issues before they become expensive problems.
When you have the right team in your corner, energy storage stops being a risk—and becomes a strategic advantage.
Join Us for the Journey
Whether you’re new to energy storage or expanding your existing portfolio, one thing remains true: the projects that succeed are the ones backed by expertise and proactive support.
The People Who Power Stem will give you a front-row seat to the lessons we’ve learned, the trends we’re watching, and the people making it all happen.
Follow along each week on stem.com!
Let’s build the future of energy storage…together.
