Post: BESS speed-to-power: why telemetry and asset registration define interconnection success

BESS speed-to-power: why telemetry and asset registration define interconnection success

It’s no secret that data centers are being built across the globe at an impressive rate. However, their growth is increasingly colliding with the realities of grid capacity, interconnection queues, and utility approval timelines. To remedy this, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) have emerged as a critical tool for data center developers seeking to accelerate grid connection by managing peak load and demonstrating grid-friendly operation. But despite strong technical designs and clear business cases, many BESS-enabled projects fail to reach operation on the timelines originally envisioned. The reason is rarely the battery itself and often aren’t related to hardware at all.

Instead, projects stall due to:

• incomplete or inconsistent asset registration documentation
• unclear or non-compliant telemetry definitions
• late discovery of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), EMS (Energy Management System), or protocol gaps
• failed or repeated acceptance tests

Projects are getting stuck in the space between engineering intent and grid reality, where utilities and Independent System Operators (ISOs) must determine whether a new asset can be trusted to behave predictably, communicate clearly, and integrate safely into the wider power system.

At this stage, success hinges less on megawatts and more on documentation, telemetry, testing evidence, and operational clarity.

For data center developers, these delays can mean missed energization windows, prolonged time in the interconnection queue, and deferred operational start dates.

The hidden bottleneck

Utilities and ISOs do not simply approve equipment installations. They approve operating assets. That approval process requires a complete, utility-ready understanding of how a BESS will register as a grid resource, report its status in real time, accept and respond to dispatch signals, and behave during normal operation and abnormal events.

When these elements are incomplete, inconsistent, or delivered too late, projects often encounter repeated clarification requests, redesign cycles, and failed testing milestones. Even well-designed BESS projects can be delayed if telemetry definitions are unclear or or testing plans don’t align with utility expectations – translating directly into lost revenue, extended reliance on temporary power solutions, or prolonged exposure to grid constraints.

The language of trust

At the core of the interconnection challenge is telemetry. From a utility or ISO’s perspective, telemetry is not a secondary technical detail, it is the primary mechanism through which trust is established. Real-time data allows grid operators to see what a BESS is doing, verify that it is responding correctly, and rely on it as part of system operations.

Without clearly defined telemetry points, data quality rules, time synchronization, and protocol mappings, utilities cannot confidently register a BESS as a dispatchable resource.

Effective telemetry planning therefore serves a dual purpose: it enables technical integration while also providing assurance that the asset will support, rather than constrain, grid reliability.

What is speed-to-power?

BESS Speed-to-Power: Telemetry and Asset Registration is a consulting service designed to address this gap. Its purpose is to move a BESS project from design intent to operational readiness by delivering all the necessary documentation, integrations, testing packages, and approvals for the asset to be fully registered and dispatchable by the utility or ISO.

Rather than responding to interconnection feedback after issues arise, the service emphasizes early, structured preparation. It works alongside engineering, controls, and integration teams to produce a complete technical narrative that utilities can review, validate, and approve with confidence.

The outcome is not simply compliance, but clarity; a clear explanation of how the BESS will operate, communicate with, and support the grid throughout its lifecycle.

The speed-to-power approach begins with asset registration documentation that establishes a single source of truth for the project. This includes detailed asset metadata, one-line diagrams, site layouts, protection and control schematics, and communication architectures, all aligned to utility and ISO requirements. Market registration forms and telemetry prerequisites are addressed early, ensuring that regulatory and operational expectations are embedded into the project from the outset.

From there, telemetry is defined with precision. Real-time data points, control commands, alarms, events, scaling factors, quality flags, and protocol mappings are all documented in a way that allows OEMs, controls engineers, and utilities to work from the same assumptions. Interface specifications clarify how data flows through Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), EMS platforms, and SCADA systems, and how the asset will behave under dispatch, failover, or loss of communications.

Testing is treated as evidence, not formality. Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Site Acceptance Tests are structured to validate telemetry accuracy, command execution, alarm propagation, and four-quadrant operation before the asset reaches energization. These tests generate documented results that utilities can review without ambiguity, reducing the likelihood of late-stage rework.

Finally, integration support ensures that EMS, RTU, network, and time-synchronization configurations align with both project design and utility expectations. SCADA links are validated, telemetry quality is confirmed, and command-and-control pathways are tested end-to-end prior to market registration.

Why this matters for data center developers

For data centers, BESS is increasingly positioned as a strategic asset that can offset load, manage peak demand, and demonstrate responsible grid participation. However, those benefits only materialize if utilities and ISOs can clearly see how the asset will perform in practice.

A well-structured telemetry and registration package allows developers to show, instead of tell, that their project will not constrain the grid. It provides concrete evidence of operational readiness and reduces the uncertainty that often slows interconnection approvals.

In an environment where interconnection queues continue to lengthen across the US, reducing uncertainty can be just as valuable as adding capacity.

A predictable path to operation

BESS speed-to-power is ultimately about predictability. By delivering a complete, utility-grade technical foundation early in the project lifecycle, data center developers can move through interconnection with fewer surprises, fewer iterations, and a clearer path to commercial operation.

As grid complexity increases and expectations around data and control continue to rise, services that address telemetry and asset registration are becoming essential for BESS projects seeking to move from concept to operation on schedule.