Standalone solar without storage results in about one-third of clean energy lost or never collected. However, with storage, there is greater control over how and when the clean energy is used, resulting in additional energy savings and revenue from grid services, among other benefits like maximized impact and return on investment (ROI). Read more below about the top five advantages of adding energy storage to your solar system.
1. Save more on energy costs
With batteries, solar energy can be used at any time of the day, not only when the sun is shining. The storage allows solar power to be utilized when electricity rates are high, thus curbing high energy bills. Alternatively, the stored clean energy can be sold back to the grid for additional revenue or used to partake in grid services like time-of-use (TOU) or demand response (DR) programs.
2. Participate in time-of-use (TOU) arbitrage
Utilities have implemented TOU rates to incentivize users to consume less during peak demand to help balance the grid's supply and demand. TOU rates adjust the price of electricity based on the time of day and season, with peak hours typically on weekdays between 4 and 9 pm, as opposed to flat or tiered energy charges. Since solar power is produced during off-peak daytime hours, batteries are essential for storing the clean energy to be used later to take advantage of TOU rates or sell the electricity back to the grid when it’s more valuable.
3. Reduce demand charges
For commercial and industrial (C&I) users, utility companies often impose demand charges based on the maximum amount of power (kW) consumed during a specific time interval, such as 15 minutes or one hour. This peak demand rate ($/KW) is then multiplied by the peak demand (KW), with demand charges typically resulting in 40-60% of C&I consumers' total electricity bill. Mitigate these expensive demand charges with battery storage that can reduce the peak demand with high accuracy and can work even when there is no solar generation.
4. Achieve sustainability goals
As more organizations commit to hourly emissions accounting and procurement to become 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE), the time of energy use is becoming more relevant for sustainability reporting and climate leadership. Meet both short- and long-term sustainability targets by matching the load with solar and battery storage to maximize clean energy use during peak hours, the highest polluting time when renewable energy is unavailable, and the grid is mainly comprised of coal and natural gas. Reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based grid electricity will reduce carbon emissions even further compared to a standalone solar system.
5. Gain peace of mind with clean backup power
Power outages in the United States have risen 64% in the last decade, making backup power a must to keep the lights on and businesses operating. Companies can achieve greater energy security and independence with the added flexibility and resiliency of pairing energy storage with their solar project. Also, storage makes it possible to completely derisk business operations with a resilient and reliable energy supply and the vagaries of rising electricity costs.
Save Big with GreenStruxure’s Energy Cost Optimization (ECO) Service
GreenStruxure’s comprehensive Energy Cost Optimization service is tailored specifically for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients. It comes with AI copilot, smart real time forecasting of supply and demand conditions, thus optimizing the energy cost and sustainability for the clients. This service helps double the utility cost avoided due to reduced demand charges and capitalizing on lower electricity rates.
Key Benefits of GreenStruxure’s Energy Cost Optimization Service
- Demand charge management: lower demand to the grid with no business operations changes.
- TOU energy arbitrage: store and release energy at optimal times
- Economic modeling & analysis: forecast demand and supply to maximize the value
- Performance reporting: Real-time and historical performance of the ECO service.
- Performance guarantees: achieve the performance as in the contract.
Unleash Solar’s Full Potential with Energy Storage
Enhance the value of your solar system by adding storage for greater impact with lowered energy bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved resiliency, and additional value streams. GreenStruxure’s Energy Cost Optimization service helps strategically manage your solar-plus-storage system to ensure the solar energy is stored and deployed at optimal times to capitalize on lower electricity rates. Contact us today to learn more about how our Energy Cost Optimization service can deliver you monetary value and climate impact.