Michael Fischette, founder and CEO of Concord Engineering, discusses the microgrid business and what customers seek, in a video interview during Microgrid 2020.
Fischette, who launched Concord Engineering in 1989, explained that the company helps “just about everyone in the microgrid space.”
Concord is made up of three parts: an engineering firm, an energy consulting firm and a construction management firm.
“I think that’s what makes us really unique. We can provide detailed engineering. We can provide consulting on the supply side. We can do startup and commissioning, and we can even take some risk in building the project,” Fischette said.
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What’s most important about Concord?
According to the CEO, it’s the company’s pedigree — its experience in the power industry — that can make all the difference to the success of client projects.
“I don’t think people really understand the importance of pedigree. My background and the company’s background on the power side came from large power plant, nuclear and fossil, large transmission and distribution substation design, so when you’re in the microgrid space, you know we’re bringing that higher level expertise coming down into the smaller projects,” Fischette explained.
Often, he finds, customers are more comfortable with this approach and background than with those who may be trying to “engineer up into a space they hadn’t been in before.”
When asked what he was most excited about in the microgrid industry, Fischette pointed to a recent new offering from his own company.
“Concord has developed a solar photovoltaic development and EPC [engineering, procurement and construction] business. Many of the microgrids we are looking at right now are multi-DER [distributed energy resource]. They’re solar PV, battery, engine or fuel cell,” Fischette said. “So you know we are just taking another bite at the apple to be able to provide a more complete solution. We are taking on full risk of development and EPC for the solar photovoltaic systems.”
Learn more about the microgrid business at the next Microgrid Knowledge conference: Microgrid 2021: The World Awakens to Microgrids, May 11-June 3.
