Industrial and commercial businesses are, now more than ever, looking to reduce energy costs and increase their sustainability. One of the most cost-effective ways to do this is to use on-site generation to power operations. In this blog, we explain the steps involved in creating an intelligent energy system on a mid-size industrial or commercial site…
1. Analyse
The first step is to analyse the current energy consumption (including peak demand times), the needs of the business, grid constraints, existing energy expenses and future ambitions to understand where the opportunities to optimise lie.
2. Design
Based on the analysis, the next step is to design a system that meets the business’ energy needs and maximises profitability. This usually includes determining the size and capacity of the PV panels, EV charging stations, batteries, and crucially the EMS to control it all. It is worth looking at market participation factors at this stage too, to ensure the best ROI.
Did you know: You can add more solar, and therefore more self-consumption and savings, than your grid constraints would lead you to believe? Wattstor’s experts can conduct a sizing analysis for solar, battery and EMS to find the best business case for your site.
3. Red-tape check
Once you know the system you’d like on your site, it is crucial to obtain the necessary permits and approvals prior to installation. You can learn what permits are required to install solar panels in both the UK and Czech Republic in our article Red-tape simplified: The permits and approvals needed for solar on your business site.
4. Select your equipment
Once the design is complete and you know which regulations you need to abide by, the next step is to select the necessary equipment and materials for installation.
Wattstor, whilst delivering state-of-the-art EMS technology, works with select partners and is happy to recommend solar, battery, inverter and EV charging equipment providers based on your location and requirements.
5. Install
The next step is the actual installation of the PV panels, EV charging stations, batteries and EMS. Professional technicians will attend your site for the hardware install, while the cloud-based part of your EMS will be set up in the cloud by the customer on-boarding team.
6. Test and Commission
After the installation is finished, the technical teams will test and commission the system to ensure that everything is functioning correctly.
7. Maintain
The final step in the installation process is to establish a maintenance plan to guarantee continued optimum functionality. This is often included in an Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract, which usually entails a payment plan for both the assets and ongoing maintenance. However, some businesses may prefer to pay for their assets upfront and come to a maintenance agreement with their installers separately. Whichever route you take, it’s an important factor to ensure you continue to get the best from your energy project.
Overall, the planning, installation and operation of an on-site renewable generation and storage system is exciting, but undoubtedly a big project for your business. It’s key to ensure you engage the right experts as early in the process as possible to help deliver both the best business case and the most sensible long-term choices for your specific site.
To learn how your site could benefit from an intelligent energy system, read more about Wattstor’s technology, or for more details on how Wattstor can help you to create the best business case, contact our friendly team.