Battery energy storage is arriving in Georgia at scale. Georgia Power’s recent projects at Robins, Moody, Cherokee, and Hammond represent several hundred megawatts of new storage capacity, and the Georgia Public Service Commission has approved more than 3,000 MW of additional development. Engineers across disciplines will increasingly encounter these systems in site planning, permitting, interconnection, and facility infrastructure.
A BESS is not simply a battery connected to an inverter. Control authority is divided among the battery management system, power conversion system, energy management system, and the utility, and they do not all hold the same kind of authority. The result is that a system can be fully installed, energized, and free of faults while still failing to deliver the power the owner expects.
This session examines those interfaces from the professional engineer’s perspective: how control authority is divided, which electrical, listing, and site-layout interfaces must be resolved during design, and where responsibility becomes unclear among engineers, manufacturers, integrators, utilities, and installers. Practical examples illustrate how technically compliant components can still produce design and commissioning problems when these boundaries are undefined.
Learning objectives:
After completing the session, attendees should be able to:
- Differentiate the operating authority of the BMS, PCS, EMS/site controller, and utility/interconnection controls.
- Identify major electrical, controls, listing, and site-layout interfaces that should be resolved during BESS design.
- Recognize common responsibility gaps among the engineer, equipment manufacturer, controls integrator, fire-protection engineer, utility, and installer.
- Apply a structured interface-checking approach before design release and commissioning.
Bio:
Archit Patnaik, PE, PMP, is a Senior Project Manager at Pure Power Engineering, where he leads electrical engineering for commercial and industrial solar PV and battery energy storage projects. He is licensed in eight states including Georgia, holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Missouri S&T, and is a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional and IEEE Senior Member. His work spans design oversight and project execution for developers, EPCs, and asset owners across multiple states and utility jurisdictions. He serves on technical committees with UL Standards & Engagement, ASTM International, and AMPP, and writes on solar and storage design for industry trade publications.
Archit Patnaik’s session is scheduled for 10:15–11:15 AM on Friday, December 4, 2026, at GSPE PDH Day