Enabling Renewable Energy with Data-Driven Power Systems and Battery Energy Storage. RMI and NREL unveil new tools to simplify complex energy analysis and improve energy storage  February 19, 2024 – Basalt, CO Rocky Mountain Institute, and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced today the launch of innovative, publicly available tools aimed at advancing renewable energy development. These tools were launched as part of RMI’s Energy Transition Academy (ETA), a global leadership and workforce development platform that is designed to empower and equip energy leaders with essential skills including modeling power systems using NREL’s System Advisor Model (SAM). Additionally, the organizations unveiled a comprehensive “how-to” guide on operating and maintaining battery energy storage systems (BESS). The ETA works to ensure leaders are well-informed and ready to act by providing access to curated information, tools, peer-to-peer problem-solving, skills training, and mentorship networks to advance energy transition priorities in their companies, countries, and communities. The ETA collaborates with regional partners such as the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and the Lagos Energy Academy, as well as international partners such as NREL to design training opportunities and resources for energy professionals that respond to local training needs. Through courses like SAM and the BESS “how-to” guide, the ETA empowers clean energy professionals to strategically plan and execute initiatives that align with their clean power goals. The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a user-friendly techno-economic computer model designed to calculate the performance and financial metrics of renewable energy projects. This free tool aids decision makers in analyzing the cost, performance, and financing aspects of grid-connected solar, wind, or geothermal power projects of any scale. SAM’s versatility extends to manufacturers, engineering and consulting firms, research and development entities, utilities, developers, venture capital firms, and international organizations, enabling end-to-end analysis for informed decision-making.            https://rmi.org/press-release/enabling-renewable-energy-with-data-driven-power-systems-and-battery-energy-storage/