Large corporations and small businesses are investing heavily in renewables like solar and wind to control energy costs as well as show their commitment to the environment. Each week articles come out about Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Walmart or another company reaching a new agreement for purchasing and installing solar on their facilities or on solar farms.
We’re seeing the impacts locally as small businesses are deciding it’s time to go solar, like the Bellevue Club did this summer.
In 2019, 1,283 megawatts of new commercial solar capacity was added in the United States – enough to power more than 243,000 homes – SEIA, 2019 Solar Means Business Report.
Why is corporate America shifting to renewables?
Reduced costs and the environment are two of the factors driving the push. Companies are increasingly becoming more responsible about their impact upon the planet as they know their customers are paying attention. As solar and wind costs reach parity with fossil-fuel technology, companies are also deciding they want to control their long-term energy costs by owning instead of renting their electricity.
An additional factor is energy security. In just the past couple of years, companies have lots billions of dollars as the result of Utility-mandated brownouts or power outages because of wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and other natural disasters that are becoming more frequent because of the Climate Crisis.
Internet server farms, food distribution centers, hospitals, factories, and office buildings all rely upon constant electricity generated from a facility typically located miles away.
This is one flaw with the centralized grid distribution model and a big part of the reason why energy storage is such a disruptive technology. Local (decentralized) solar or wind energy combined with energy storage gives companies independence from the electrical grid, brownouts, and rate increases. Even without energy storage, the economics and promise of energy security are driving companies’ decisions to go solar.
So, is it time for your company to consider the benefits of solar or solar plus energy storage?
Fill out our Get Started form and tell us about your project and goals for solar. We’ll get some information put together so you can decide if solar is the right decision for your company.
