What to Consider When Evaluating Renewables for Your Energy Procurement Strategy

by | Sep 13, 2016

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ecova logo reducedBy: Ian Bowman, Director of Product Management, Ecova

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)—energy supplies that aren’t produced by traditional large centralized fossil fuel plants—continue to be a hot topic among organizations seeking to reduce their environmental impact and increase cost-efficiency. While incorporating DERs like solar, wind & battery can offer significant benefits, the impact varies greatly depending on your industry, your location and your priorities. Ecova’s new e-book, Considering Renewables: Five Key Considerations for Integrating Renewables into Your Procurement Strategy, can help you explore whether DERs are right for your organization, when to make the investment and how to make a strong business case for DERs.

DERs like renewable sources (wind and solar, for example), energy storage, demand response and demand management activities can help businesses offset rising energy costs while promoting increased security and reliability. As a result, more and more organizations are adopting DERs. Considering Renewables, for which Ecova aggregated and analyzed trends from commercial and industrial leaders nationwide, found that:

  • 15% of respondents are currently leveraging DERs at a majority of their sites
  • 20% have already implemented DERs in pilot sites
  • A full 1/3 are considering DERs for their organizations

Successfully integrating DERs into your organization’s portfolio won’t happen overnight. This e-book identifies key processes that will help you identify which supplies offer the greatest potential benefit and help you plan for the subsequent capital expenditures. You’ll find recommendations for addressing stakeholder priorities, identifying constraints early, managing prolonged project timelines, managing financial risk and seizing today’s renewable opportunities. Considering Renewables will prepare your business for the rapid changes in technology and price that accompany the dynamic DER industry.

While DERs are hot now, Ecova’s e-book reveals that 2016 is the beginning of a marathon, not a sprint—and that careful research and strategic planning will help you prepare for future acceleration. Whether you’ve already started implementing DERs or are just beginning to consider introducing them, these considerations can help you begin laying out your organization’s roadmap for DER success.

The Considering Renewables e-book can be found here. To get more information about DERs and other energy industry topics and market trends moving forward, sign up for Ecova’s Energy Market Watch newsletter or visit our Energy Price Hub for the latest advice and news.

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