The formation of a new duo – energy management giant and software innovator Green Energy Corp – signals the growing market for microgrids in North America.
The two are partnering to offer what they are describing as a complete microgrid solution, from design, through development, construction, operation and ownership.
“A key element of our strategy is full-service implementation of microgrids. With North America projected to maintain its global leadership in microgrid capacity and increase its market share to 65 percent of the global market by 2020, now was the right time to join forces to deliver a solution that is positioned to meet this growing demand,” said James Potach, Schneider Electric’s senior vice president, energy and sustainability service.
A report by Navigant Research found that North America, especially the United States, represents the best market for microgrids globally. The research firm forecasts a $40 billion annual global microgrid market by 2020.
The partnership brings together Schneider’s expertise in distributed energy and advanced power control with Green Energy Corp’s best-in-class open source Linux tools. This includes its GreenBus 2.0, which enables new control features and improved return-on-investment for customers.
“Our innovative open source software connects to any and all utility and client systems. That combined with our portfolio of patents and partnership with Schneider Electric – we are now able to create smarter, scalable and repeatable microgrid solutions,” said Peter Gregory, founder and chairman of Green Energy Corp.
Both companies said they already have an extensive pipeline of projects. Schneider, a company that had $30.8 billion in sales last year, has developed and supported more than 250 advanced power control and microgrid deployments across corporate, university and government campuses in the U.S. alone.
“Working with Green Energy Corp delivers a complete solution to the microgrid market, enabling Schneider Electric to provide thousands of its existing and new energy customers with options not previously available,” Potach said.
Recently listed by Navigant Research as a “Top 5 Company to Watch” in the microgrid marketplace, Green Energy Corp provides extensive engineering support and development toolkits for smart grid and microgrid technologies. Its new microgrid solutions provide improved financial optimization of distributed energy resources for corporate, university and government campuses.
In other recent microgrid news, Schneider recently invested $50 million in a new microgrid research lab in British Columbia. BC Premier Christy Clark described Schneider’s investment as a “vote of confidence” for the world and British Columbia’s green future. “It’s a big step in the right direction,” she said.
Interested in learning more about microgrids – what’s boosting them and what could hold them back? Read our report, “Think Microgrids,” downloadable here, free of charge, courtesy of the report’s underwriters: the International District Energy Association, Schneider Electric and Microgrid Knowledge.
