Technical Articles

The market for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar energy systems has grown in recent years due to a number of factors: rising energy costs, widespread adoption of energy storage increasing the value of on-site generation, and the increasing availability of capital for energy development. Strong federal tax credits have supported the financial viability of these […]

The commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable energy sector is experiencing a paradox. Driven by data center load growth, grid capacity constraints, and community resilience targets, the demand for distributed energy resources (DERs) is at the front end of a significant upward trajectory. Yet, the C&I mid-market lacks a widely accepted industry playbook to develop these […]

Introduction Understanding what Owner's Engineering is only answers half the question. The harder part for a system owner is knowing exactly when to bring that expertise into a project. Renewable energy assets are built to perform for 25 to 30 years, and the decisions made in the first few months of a project can lock […]

Commercial solar and storage projects rarely move in a straight line from design to construction. Even a well-planned project can run into unforeseen utility-related costs, often surfacing once a feasibility or transmission study gets underway. These costs tend to fall outside the visible scope of the project itself, tied instead to what the utility requires […]

The U.S. market alone has installed over 23 GW of commercial-scale solar since 2010. With each passing year, more of these existing projects will reach end of life, run into warranty issues, or have premature equipment failures that justify what the industry calls a “repower.” Repower projects involve changing or updating a system's equipment in […]

The Mayfield Renewables team is happy to announce our education partnership with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). As part of this partnership, six of our engineer-led courses are now available on the MREA website, extending access to our technical training to a wider audience within the renewables industry. Collaborating with MREA is an honor, […]

Power quality is quite a buzzword in the electrical industry these days, no pun intended. How can we clearly define such a blanket term? Is it ever a significant worry in solar systems? There isn’t a concrete definition of power quality in the solar industry. Additionally, it can be extremely difficult and infeasible to catch […]

Early decisions in an engineering project can have downstream consequences. In certain cases, when decisions have not been fully vetted or key stakeholders are not wholly aligned on the primary objectives of the project, system performance may vary from expectations and cost overruns during design, construction, and operation may occur.  A general rule of thumb […]

When you think about it, cooking a really good meal and developing a fully functional microgrid system aren’t all that different. In both cases, you’ll be heavily reliant on technique and experience, and the work you put in early will pay off later. Precise knife cuts will reduce the risk of unevenly cooked ingredients, much […]