Commercial and industrial – the fastest growing microgrid market
Unlike microgrids intended for a public purpose or to serve the needs of a distribution utility, commercial and industrial microgrids are oriented toward making a profit. Facing many regulatory standards makes this task challenging, yet this is an opportunity for innovative microgrid solutions to be introduced. Decreasing solar and battery costs play a major role in the microgrid market, but there are also other emerging trends that will stimulate C&I microgrids.
In the United States, regulators are cutting back the reliance on backup diesel generators to provide emergency power services when the utility grid suffers a blackout. This gets microgrids a chance to offset backup diesel generators. The first company to provide utility-grade backup power service through microgrids is Enchanted Rock. The company’s microgrids offer more than 230 MW.
According to Navigant Research, by 2026 the C&I microgrid market is anticipated to become a $18 billion business globally. A software company from Minnesota is also entering the C&I microgrid market…
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