Energy as a Service company GreenStruxure has installed an on-site renewable energy microgrid at the animal shelter of Montgomery County, Maryland.
The microgrid consists of solar carports, rooftop solar panels, a microgrid controller, and other electrical infrastructure. Also included is GreenStruxure’s Beyond the Grid digital AI platform, which monitors the energy system and tracks performance.
According to the company, the solar panels at the animal shelter can produce more than 500 kW of energy, enough to serve about 35 percent of the facility’s electricity needs.
The company says it designed, built, and will operate and maintain the microgrid under a 25-year energy services agreement with the county. Energy as a Service is basically a project in which the developer handles all upfront costs, operations and maintenance, while the customer pays in regular installments for the energy procured.
The project was financed by Blackstone-backed ClearGen, a strategic partner of GreenStruxure.
The installation of the microgrid aligns with the county’s goals of improving the resiliency of critical public facilities, reducing environmental impact, and lowering operational costs.
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GreenStruxure notes that the microgrid has enhanced the shelter’s resilience by utilizing solar power combined with backup generators to cut fuel consumption and extend the operating time during utility power outages.
“We are thrilled to be helping the Montgomery County Animal Shelter transition to a more resilient, sustainable energy solution,” said GreenStruxure CEO Jose Lorenzo Lista. “Our standardized and modular microgrid is delivering outcome-based energy as a service and improving the resiliency and sustainability of this critical facility. This microgrid will give the facility uninterrupted power supply during natural disasters and power outages, while also significantly reducing emissions.”
GreenStruxure and its parent company, Schneider Electric, have worked on several microgrid projects in Montgomery County. AlphaStruxure, another EaaS firm spun off by Schneider and focused on bigger, public distributed energy projects, earlier this year announced plans to construct a microgrid for the county's public transit bus depot site.
