[Webinar] Future-proofing your BESS augmentation strategy

Who is presenting?

Lisa Casey is director of technical advisory at VDE Americas with nearly 15 years of experience in engineering and project management. Leveraging her experience as a former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs technical lead, Lisa supports stakeholders through project development, construction, financing, and operations, by evaluating project designs, major equipment, site conditions, performance assumptions, and long-term operational considerations to help clients make informed investment decisions.

Dr. Jason Weeks is a principal engineer at VDE Americas and a subject matter expert in lithium-ion battery technology and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Weeks leads VDE Americas’ energy storage advisory services, including modeling and validating system performance, identifying and mitigating technical risks, and reviewing commissioning and acceptance test practices and results. He holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Why is this important?

Battery energy storage systems inevitably lose capacity as they age and cycle. For projects with long-term capacity and performance obligations, augmentation—the addition of supplemental battery capacity—is often necessary to offset degradation and maintain contractual requirements. But determining when, how, and how much to augment requires balancing technical performance, system compatibility, project economics, and long-term operational needs.

An augmentation strategy developed at the beginning of a project may not be implemented until years later. By then, battery and power conversion technologies may have changed, original equipment may no longer be available, project performance may differ from initial forecasts, and updated codes and standards may affect permitting. Even seemingly straightforward decisions, such as choosing between AC and DC augmentation, can have significant implications for equipment compatibility, project downtime, controls integration, installation costs, and future technology flexibility.

What will you learn about?

In this virtual lunch-and-learn, VDE Americas' director of technical advisory, Lisa Casey, will host Dr. Jason Weeks, an expert in lithium-ion battery chemistries and battery energy storage systems, to explore the technical and commercial considerations involved in developing a robust BESS augmentation strategy. Drawing on real-world project experience, they will examine common augmentation pitfalls and explain how developers and asset owners can account for degradation, equipment availability, electrical and controls compatibility, permitting requirements, and future costs before these issues become constraints.

Attendees will learn about:

• How degradation, overbuild, and performance requirements influence augmentation timing
• Key considerations when evaluating AC versus DC augmentation strategies
• How site design and electrical infrastructure can enable—or constrain—future augmentation
• Risks associated with equipment obsolescence, OEM availability, and controls integration
• How evolving codes, standards, and AHJ requirements can complicate augmentation
• Why augmentation budgets and reserves may underestimate future project costs
• When owners should begin preparing for an anticipated augmentation

Don't miss this opportunity to learn how thoughtful planning can help future-proof a BESS project against the technical, financial, and operational uncertainties that emerge over its operating life. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions and join the discussion during an open Q&A session.