As the demand for energy storage continues to grow, Energy Toolbase has added more personnel to the team to help our customers model and deploy their projects. The Energy Toolbase Enterprise team is an essential piece to the overall direction of Energy Toolbase which includes the development and maintenance of sustainable long-term business relationships, product road mapping, and identification of unique business opportunities. It also focuses on emerging markets, complex revenue streams, and new technologies where they work closely with solar + storage developers to model, deploy, and monitor advanced renewable projects and develop energy storage projects paired with our Acumen EMS™ controls software.
Jordyn Fenner is the Enterprise Sales Account Manager and has been with the company for almost a year with several years of experience in the solar and energy storage industry. She shares her insights on her experience with the Enterprise team so far, what to look forward to regarding energy storage in the coming year, and how her team can help you maximize the value of your solar and energy storage assets.
Q: What is your role at Energy Toolbase, specifically within the Enterprise team?
A: Energy Toolbase is an industry-leading software platform that provides a cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring products that enable solar and storage developers to deploy projects more efficiently. My role is to build and maintain relationships with key accounts, supporting in the development of battery storage projects paired with our Acumen energy management system. The Enterprise team more broadly focuses on emerging markets, complex revenue streams, and new technologies. I have the pleasure of working closely with developers, engineering firms, financial institutions, equipment manufacturers, utilities, and facility owners to model, deploy, and monitor renewable energy projects. Our team also helps to drive the overall strategic direction of Energy Toolbase, including key partnerships, product road mapping, and the identification of innovative business opportunities.
Q: What were you involved in prior to joining the team?
A: After getting my degree in environmental studies and policy, working in the renewable energy industry was a natural fit. I have continued in this field for the past seven years and never looked back. My most recent endeavor before ETB was working for an E.P.C. that specialized in solar carports. I was fortunate enough to work with an individual who helped foster my passion for a more sustainable future. We created a sales team for turnkey systems from the ground up and I quickly became an avid user of the Energy Toolbase’s software. I developed solar and storage projects across the nation and met some wonderful people along the way. Needless to say, when the opportunity arose with ETB, I couldn’t wait to be a part of a team that I had worked with for so long.
Q: What unique value does the ETB Enterprise team bring to the market or those looking to deploy energy storage?
A: First and foremost, we focus on industry-leading solutions. We help developers in new markets with new programs, and new incentives. We are actively developing solutions to accommodate the quickly moving battery market. Our Enterprise team has insight into the energy storage industry from a broad perspective. We see different technologies, new programs, and have access to real-time data from projects in operation. Whether you need resiliency, long-duration storage, or systems that are UL9540 certified we have partnerships with a multitude of battery storage vendors that we can recommend meeting the needs of a diverse project portfolio. We also use our developer platform for modeling and cost avoidance calculations to determine the project economics. We are happy to help create and review these models with you. The added value is when you run your simulations through our platform, you can model with our Acumen EMS. This means you are using the same machine learning and controls logic in both your model and in the field when the system is deployed. We take a lifecycle approach where this data and performance is all easily accessible in our monitoring portal. The front-of-the-meter space is also a quickly growing market where we are seeing increased activity. We have a dedicated team that will work closely with you on a project-by-project basis. Our market experts can help identify the value of ancillary services such as frequency regulation, spinning reserves, forward capacity & wholesale markets.
Q: What is something important you look for in a good energy storage opportunity?
A: There are many complex factors that make the feasibility of each storage project unique. It is essential to identify the goals and specific needs early in the development stages. The importance of a dedicated team, willing to work through the nuances of a project is also worthy of note. From an economic perspective, behind-the-meter projects benefit from utility rates and net metering structures that are conducive for storage. Ideally, this means high demand charges and large differentials between time-of-use charges. Our in-house rates team maintains a database of over 80 thousand rates in more than a thousand utilities that ETB users can access to identify optimal storage opportunities. This lays the foundation for the development of a successful project with a healthy return on investment.
Q: What are some exciting things you’re working on and working towards at Energy Toolbase?
A: We have a stacked year full of API’s and integrations that will provide our users with more functionality and streamlined processes. Be sure to stay tuned for some very exciting announcements throughout 2022.
Q: What has been your favorite project to work on in your time at Energy Toolbase?
A: Call me a glutton for punishment, but my favorite project has been for a facility in New York. Establishing a comfort level with authorities having jurisdiction in emerging markets with new storage technologies can be a daunting task. This was compounded by limited space and a constrained grid. All the challenges we encounter help create a better understanding of the industry. It equips you with the tools needed for future projects and connects you with market experts. I am excited to see the volume of storage assets grow in the northeastern U.S. over the next few years.
Q: What is something you’re excited about within your position at ETB to do in the new year?
A: Exposure to new markets. Identifying utilities with high demand charges, states with new incentive programs and areas with grid instability are all very exciting prospects. We are seeing some of the most unexpected areas within the U.S., and internationally, expressing an interest in battery storage. With states like Arkansas, Connecticut, and Texas getting onboard, I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Q: What is something about the energy storage industry that excites you?
A: The energy paradigm shifts away from conventional generation sources to renewable energy. We are seeing innovative battery technologies with greater power density at an increasingly competitive cost. Rebates, incentive programs and capital investments are fueling market growth across an impressive number of sectors. Leveraging ETB’s developer platform, we are modeling more and more ESS projects that have healthy economic returns. Dozens of states and utilities have set ambitious decarbonization targets that are paving the way for a future where storage is an integral part of our energy framework.
Here are some fun facts about Jordyn to help you get to know her better:
