Energy Toolbase | Proposal Tools for Solar PV and Energy Storage

California Solar + Energy Storage
Market Intelligence

The Energy Toolbase (ETB) team brings decades of combined expertise in developing,
installing, and operating solar and energy storage projects in the California market. Our
team of experts closely follows key policy issues in California and reports on how they
affect the economics of projects.

SCHEDULE A CALL

Analyzing California Projects with ETB

Leading developers and asset owners in California utilize ETB's suite of software tools to develop and deploy projects more profitably.

Precisely model NEM-3 projects based on different inputs and scenarios
Identify, quantify, and optimize the savings and economics of PV + ESS projects
Model rate-switching scenarios for optimal bill savings
Model and account for any type of Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) incentive
Model and account for any type of new Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) incentive

Key Policies & Programs

What does California's NEM-3 "Net Billing" Tariff mean for Solar & Storage Project Economics

The CPUC recently released its revised Proposed Decision (PD) on the state’s “NEM-3” successor net metering tariff, establishing an entirely new “Net Billing” tariff framework. The new methodology reduces the value of exported energy by roughly 75% compared to NEM-2 levels, and completely decouples the value of imports from exports. This will considerably erode the value of solar-only projects and create a strong price signal for pairing energy storage with solar. The ETB product and engineering teams have refactored our backend savings engine to precisely account for ACC hourly export values.

NEM-3 “Net Billing” Tariff Revised Proposed Decision (November 2022) – Summary of key issues, What it means for Solar and Storage Economics, How to Model Projects in Energy Toolbase

NEM-3 is Delayed Once Again as the CPUC Asks for Input Prior to Issuing a Final Decision

Modeling NEM-3 Scenarios in ETB Developer, and the Mechanics of how Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) Export Values are Determined

Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) - Energy Storage Incentives

California’s SGIP program is the largest behind-the-meter (BTM) storage incentive program in the country. All variations of SGIP incentives are loaded in ETB Developer. Our team has tracked every angle of the SGIP program when the program budget was replenished with $675 million of incentive dollars for storage projects, as directed by Senate Bill 700. Those funds are now winding down, and almost all are reserved as we have reported over the last year.

SDG&E Is the Now the Only Territory with Large-Scale Storage SGIP Funds Remaining

Last Call for Commercial Storage SGIP Incentives: SCE’s Budget is Exhausted, and the End is in Sight for PG&E and SDG&E

A Definitive Guide to the Updated SGIP Incentive Program (2020 Edition)

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Solar & Energy Storage Investment Tax Credits (ITC)

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, signed into law on August 16th, provides a historic $369 billion of clean energy and climate investments over the next ten years. The legislation extends the 30% investment tax credit (ITC) for solar + storage applications and introduces a new 30% ITC for standalone storage projects. The ETB team has conducted substantial research regarding the tax provisions within the bill to provide developers and asset owners with actionable short- and long-term steps to fully capitalize on this historic legislation.

WEBINAR: Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): energy storage & solar tax credits. How do they affect your project's economics?

Standalone Energy Storage - Investment Tax Credit (IRC) in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: What You Need to Know

California's 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards Mandate Solar + Storage on New Construction

The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently published the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, which are scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2023. The new 2022 regs require newly constructed commercial buildings to include solar and energy storage, providing a crucial step in California’s progress toward achieving 100% carbon neutrality by 2045. The ETB team has followed these regulations and has outlined the rules and specifications of the new solar + storage mandate for California business owners and project developers.

California’s New Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Mandating Solar + Storage, are set to go into effect on January 1, 2023

A Guide to the California Energy Commission’s new Commercial Construction Solar + Storage Mandate

California Market Specific Webinars

California C&I Energy Storage Market:
State of the Union

We explored headwinds and tailwinds influencing the California C&I solar + storage market in 2022. We shared insights from anonymized aggregated data on over 100k CA ESS proposals run on the ETB Developer platform.

ETB Masterclass: Optimizing the Economics of C&I Solar + Storage Projects in California

We completed a rigorous, months-long analysis where we studied the economics of solar + storage projects on every C&I rate tariff in California’s Investor-Owned Utility territories.

ETB Insights on the California Market

ETB Developer, our sales and modeling software platform, is widely regarded as the gold standard for quantifying the savings and economics of solar + storage projects. Over 3 million proposals have been run using our software, which gives us unrivaled visibility into market trends and insights, such as the average solar and energy savings. We will continue to publish more ETB Insights on the California market, anonymously sourced from ETB Developer proposal generation activity.

C&I ESS Projects - ESS Savings ($/kWh)

ESS Savings ($/kWh) = Total Bill Savings from ESS/ESS Battery Capacity (kWh)

C&I PV Projects - PV Savings ($/kWh)

PV Savings ($/kWh) = Total Bill Savings from PV/PV Production yr 1 (kWh)

ETB Developer - Proposal Templates

Precisely model and propose California programs, including NEM-3, SGIP, NEM-A, and rate-switching scenarios for residential and commercial applications. Choose from our library of brilliant proposal templates or create your own from scratch. Fully white-labeled and customizable to communicate your company’s story and value proposition.

ETB Legacy, PV + ESS (with Demand Profiles)

Our legacy, long-form template provides a comprehensive overview of a solar + storage project, including incentives, utility rates before and after, demand profiles, and cash flow statements.

Energy Storage System (ESS) Summary Report

Our ESS Summary Report provides an in-depth view of the savings breakdown and corresponding ESS dispatch performance, which can be used as an addendum.

Residential PV + ESS Modern Template

Our Modern template provides an extensive overview of a solar + storage project, including incentives, utility rates, demand profiles, and cash flow statements.

Residential PV + ESS - Background Image Template

Our more stylized, Background Image template provides an alternative way to present a high-level summary of a solar + storage project, along with economics and environmental benefits.

California Acumen EMS™ Deployments - Case Studies

Energy Toolbase’s Acumen EMS™ controls software utilizes AI and machine learning to forecast and optimally discharge energy storage systems operating in the field. We’ve deployed dozens of projects in California, optimizing multiple value streams including demand charge management, time-of-use arbitrage, PV self-consumption, and demand response programs such as DRAM. Here are a few of our California deployments: