Commercial/Industrial Microgrids

Generac Bolsters C&I Microgrid Offerings with Ageto Acquisition

Aug. 5, 2024

The transaction acquiring microgrid controller firm Ageto will aid Generac's system integration efforts for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers, the company said.

Rod Walton, Managing Editor

Hotel Marcel solar PV, courtesy Bruce Becker

On-site electrical generator manufacturer Generac Power Systems is fortifying its push into the full-service microgrid sector by acquiring controller firm Ageto.

The transaction announced Monday will aid system integration efforts for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers, Generac President of the Domestic C&I division, Erik Wilde, said in a statement. The two companies have collaborated since 2021 on the integration of Ageto’s microgrid controller into Generac’s battery energy storage systems and generators.

“This acquisition enhances our ability to offer a complete energy technology ecosystem to domestic commercial and industrial customers with multi-asset sites,” Wilde said. By integrating Ageto’s controllers and software, “we’re simplifying asset integration, control and optimization for our customers and creating a competitive advantage for Generac.”

To be considered a microgrid, on-site power assets such as solar, battery storage and gen-sets require a controller system to coordinate and monitor all parts of the microgrid. The microgrid controller market, which has grown significantly in recent years as customers seek to interconnect sustainability goals with energy reliability requirements, could grow 20% annually to a $45 billion global revenue market by 2034, ResearchandMarkets forecast earlier this year.

Ageto's controllers have been utilized in microgrids such as the Hotel Marcel project in Connecticut (pictured above) and in the remote town of Hughes, Alaska, among many others.

"With Generac's support, we are positioned to expand our offerings, enhance our technology, and scale to address the evolving energy landscape and continue on our mission," Ageto co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Michael Murray and co-founder/Chief Technology Officer Anthony Johnson posted on Linked In.

Since Murray and Johnson started the company seven years ago, Ageto's ARC controller system has been deployed to more than 100 operating microgrids globally.

The Ageto deal is the latest Generac Power Systems acquisition as it bolsters its multi-asset microgrid holdings. In late June, Generac announced it was buying energy storage engineering, procurement and construction firm PowerPlay Battery Energy Storage System from a division of SunGrid Solutions.

The PowerPlay acquisition was also characterized as part of Generac’s goal to offer a complete energy ecosystem to C&I customers in the U.S.

In July, Generac Power Systems was awarded a grant of up to $200 million over five years to facilitate installation of residential solar and battery energy storage for disadvantaged households in Puerto Rico. The company has engaged in backup power installations within the island territory for more than 20 years.

Late last year, Generac announced it was making a “minor investment” in smart electric vehicle charging technology supplier Wallbox. As part of the investment, Generac said it would offer Wallbox’s EV charging solutions to its own customers.

Generac was a sponsor at the Microgrid Knowledge 2024 Conference this past April in Baltimore. Microgrid 2025 will be April 15-17 in Dallas.

About the Author

Rod Walton, Managing Editor | Managing Editor

For Microgrid Knowledge editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

I’ve spent the last 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. I was an energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World before moving to business-to-business media at PennWell Publishing, which later became Clarion Events, where I covered the electric power industry. I joined Endeavor Business Media in November 2021 to help launch EnergyTech, one of the company’s newest media brands. I joined Microgrid Knowledge in July 2023.

I earned my Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. My career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World, all in Oklahoma . I have been married to Laura for the past 33-plus years and we have four children and one adorable granddaughter. We want the energy transition to make their lives better in the future.

Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech are focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.