BESS expert warns U.S. storage buildout is outrunning worker training

Ricardo Rosario says the fast-growing U.S. battery storage market is creating a workforce gap as developers race to staff utility-scale projects. The construction veteran is pushing a new book and online training platform aimed at foremen, superintendents and field engineers.

Why it matters: - The U.S. battery storage sector is expanding faster than the field workforce is being trained to build and commission projects safely. - Rosario says that gap can drive delays, cost overruns and safety risks on utility-scale energy storage sites. - The issue matters as the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects another 54 gigawatts of battery storage online over the next two and a half years.

What happened: - Ricardo Rosario, CCM, PMP, said the U.S. energy storage buildout is outrunning the industry’s ability to train the people who execute projects in the field. - Rosario has 19 years of construction management experience and has led field execution on utility-scale BESS programs totaling more than 240 megawatts. - Rosario’s field responsibilities have included foundations, medium voltage electrical work, switchgear, protection and controls, commissioning, and utility interconnection. - Rosario is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where battery storage is central to grid resilience.

The details: - The U.S. Energy Information Administration says operational battery storage reached nearly 52 gigawatts by June 2026. - The same data points to average utility-scale battery capacity growth of 70% per year for three years. - Rosario said many of the next projects will be built by crews doing the work for the first time. - Rosario said the biggest gap is on the ground, not in the engineering. - Rosario cited the need for experience with container setting, thermal runaway exclusion zones and medium-voltage terminations. - Rosario is the author of Building Utility-Scale BESS: A Field Guide to Construction, Commissioning, and Project Execution. - The book reached #1 New Release in Electrical Engineering on Amazon. - The second edition is field verified and includes 28 color diagrams. - Rosario founded BessUniversity, an online training platform for utility-scale battery storage construction. - BessUniversity offers 16 modules for foremen, superintendents, construction managers and field engineers. - The platform includes free foundation modules, a capstone exam and a completion certificate that can be added to LinkedIn. - Rosario is bilingual in English and Spanish. - Rosario holds CCM and PMP credentials and is a member of the Construction Management Association of America. - Rosario is available for interviews, expert commentary and speaking engagements on utility-scale BESS construction, commissioning, NFPA 855 site safety and energy storage workforce development. - BessUniversity is available at bessuniversity.com. - Rosario’s LinkedIn profile is available at his social profile.

Between the lines: - The release positions training as the bottleneck in a market that already has strong technical demand and project pipelines. - Rosario is framing workforce readiness as a practical site-execution issue, not a theoretical engineering problem. - The emphasis on foremen, superintendents and inspectors suggests the industry’s scaling challenge is concentrated in field leadership and hands-on execution.

What’s next: - Rosario is pitching BessUniversity and his field guide as tools for EPC firms and crews entering the storage market. - The market’s near-term growth could keep pressure on employers to develop faster, more standardized training for utility-scale BESS work. - Rosario expects more demand for expert guidance on construction, commissioning and site safety as storage deployment accelerates.

The bottom line: - The U.S. is adding battery storage capacity quickly, but Rosario argues the industry has not built a matching pipeline of trained field workers.