Pool of Innovators in the Microgrid Space Is Diverse, Often Incomparable

Oct. 6, 2015
Ranking the pool of innovators in the microgrid space isn’t easy because of their diversity. After recently publishing an apples-to-apples comparison, Peter Asmus of Navigant Research now offers an apples-to-oranges look.

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Ranking the pool of innovators in the microgrid space isn’t easy because of their diversity. After recently publishing an apples-to-apples comparison, Peter Asmus of Navigant Research now offers an apples-to-oranges look.

Navigant Research’s recently published Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Microgrid Controls is our first ranking of companies active in the microgrid market. The hardest part of this examination of innovators in this space was leaving so many market movers out, due to the focus on microgrid controls offered up by either developers or system integrators.

What if we were to turn the general assumption for the Navigant Leaderboard format on its head? In other words, why not create an apples-to-oranges listing? I am going to go out on a limb and highlight three companies not included in the Navigant Leaderboard report, but that deserve special mention due to their near-term impacts on the overall global microgrid market, regardless of what their role is. I have previously highlighted two companies, a utility (Commonwealth Edison) and an energy storage and smart grid innovator (S&C Electric) that were not included in the Leaderboard. Both were disqualified for inclusion because the ranking excluded utilities and vendors that primarily focus on energy storage integration.

Here are three other companies not included in the Leaderboard that I would like to highlight, for reasons explained below:

  • Energizing Company: Based in the Los Angeles area, Energizing Company is poised to announce one of the largest grid-connected microgrids in the world. The company sees its role as akin to a movie producer. (Well, what do you expect from a company based near Hollywood?) It doesn’t offer a controls platform and, though a private developer, sees utilities as its primary clients. It seeks to sponsor microgrids utilizing public-private partnerships. The company has fully embraced the concept of utility distribution microgrids with a plan for a microgrid to encompass an entire municipal utility’s service territory, optimized with smart grid technologies. It helps that the community this microgrid will serve is allegedly one of the smartest communities in the world (and I am not talking about IQ, but embedded infrastructure intelligence).
  • PowerStream: Ontario’s second-largest municipal utility, PowerStream, was the first utility in North America to announce a microgrid offering under a business model it refers to as DBOOME—design, build, operate, maintain, and energize. Perhaps the company’s most forward-looking project straddles what Navigant Research would identify as either a series of nanogrids or decentralized virtual power plants. Working with Sunverge—another company Navigant Research views as a microgrid leader—PowerStream will aggregate solar PV and lithium ion battery systems installed in residences in order to provide bidirectional value for customer and utility alike. The utility requires each customer to pony up some of their own money in return for long-term savings and exchanges of bidirectional energy services that serve both residence and utility grid.
  • Win Inertia: Among energy storage vendors active in the marketplace, Win Inertia is one of the most creative. Based in Spain, the company’s project portfolio highlights fascinating applications for hybrid battery solutions, including both alternating current and direct current (AC and DC) systems for electric vehicle (EV) charging, railways, harbors, buildings, islands or renewable integration for, of course, microgrids. Win Inertia has enjoyed 100% revenue growth since its inception and boasts a portfolio of over 15 microgrid-related projects either in operation or under development.

At last count, Navigant Research has profiled more than 50 active companies in the microgrid market, with none of them capturing more than 10% of the total market revenue. This is the status of the market today: there is no clear leader. The three companies profiled on this blog highlight the fact that innovation is coming from a variety of market players, each focused on a different part of the value chain.

Will one company emerge as the clear market leader? Only time will tell.

This article originally appeared on the Navigant Research Blog. Author Peter Asmus is a principal research analyst at Navigant Research.

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