What It Really Takes to Commission a Successful BESS Project

Start Strong: Planning & Contracting

A successful commissioning phase begins long before batteries arrive on site. Comprehensive contracting is critical:

Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) and supply agreements should align with interconnection, lease, and permitting requirements.

A clear division of responsibilities between EPCs and integrators helps avoid scope gaps and finger-pointing later.

Long-Term Service Agreements (LTSAs) and O&M strategies should be finalized early, not left until after construction begins. Doing so ensures favorable terms and smooth integration into project planning. Ambiguous LTSA language often causes problems, especially around data ownership, performance guarantees, and warranties.

If you’re working with long-term service agreements, you’ll know how tricky it can be to navigate the fine print. To make things easier, we’ve put together an LTSA kit with a practical guide to key contract clauses, a clause-by-clause checklist, and a scorecard to help you benchmark the maturity of your agreements.

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Construction Realities: Storage, Safety & Flexibility

Once construction begins, technical and logistical details make the difference between smooth commissioning and expensive setbacks. One risk is overlooking storage conditions. Equipment should be kept off-site in controlled environments for as long as possible. If batteries must be stored on-site, humidity and temperature monitoring are essential to prevent damage that could void warranties.

SCADA and network design also often lag behind other finalized drawings, leading to costly rework and delays once commissioning begins. Market conditions add another layer of complexity, as incentive programs and tariff structures can shift mid-construction. Flexibility during this stage allows developers to re-optimize projects and capture additional value.

Finally, fire safety must be addressed well before energization. Risks are present even before systems go live, as demonstrated by two high-profile commissioning-phase battery fires in New York. These events underscore the need of an emergency response plan before batteries even arrive on site.

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‍Commissioning with Data in Mind

Commissioning is where theory meets reality. Usually, site acceptance tests like capacity and efficiency checks are standard. But commissioning is more than running through standard tests. It’s about uncovering hidden weaknesses. 59% of BESS failures occur in the first two years of operation, often due to balance-of-system issues introduced during commissioning.

Using analytics during commissioning can reveal subtle but critical problems, from voltage imbalances to State of Charge (SoC) anomalies that confuse energy management systems.

Erin King, Senior Project Engineer at Camelot Energy Group added that pushing for deeper validation of OEM test results is essential:

“It can be hard to maintain pressure on OEMs and integrators to validate their results, but having independent oversight and data-driven analysis ensures a healthy project.”

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Beyond COD: Ensure Your BESS Is Market-Ready

Commercial operation doesn’t always mean a system is fully revenue-ready.

Tests required for ISO qualification and state incentive compliance are often overlooked in EPC or supply agreements. If contractors leave the project before these tests are completed, owners may be left scrambling. Owners should ensure contractors remain engaged until the system passes all market-readiness tests. This avoids delays in tapping revenue streams.

In short: commissioning isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about ensuring assets are ready to participate in every revenue stream they were designed for.

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Key Takeaways

• Plan early, contract smart: Address LTSA and O&M agreements up front to prevent downstream conflicts.

• Respect the details in construction: Storage conditions, SCADA integration, and fire safety prep can make or break a project.

• Use data proactively: Analytics shorten investigation time and reveal underlying system health.

• Think beyond COD: True commissioning success is when your BESS is both operational and fully revenue enabled.

Moving from commissioning to market readiness requires collaboration, foresight, and data-driven decision-making. By adopting these best practices, asset owners can avoid chaos and set their projects up for long-term success.

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