BOSTON, June 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GreenStruxure, a leading Energy as a Service company, recently commissioned an on-site renewable energy microgrid for Montgomery County Maryland’s animal shelter. Today, the company and the county hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the shelter to unveil the microgrid.
“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.”
The company designed and built and will operate and maintain the on-site renewable energy microgrid through an energy services agreement with the county. The financing was provided by its strategic partner ClearGen LLC, a Blackstone company. Montgomery County receives the outcomes of the microgrid’s performance – notably, about 35% of the facility’s load is served by solar energy, and it has improved resilience at the critical facility by using solar power combined with back-up generators to reduce fuel consumption and extend operating time during utility power outages.
GreenStruxure and Montgomery County agreed to a 25-year energy services agreement to provide onsite zero-carbon energy service and resilience service. The energy services agreement and microgrid installation are part of the county's goals of improving the resiliency of critical public facilities, reducing their environmental impact and reducing operational costs to taxpayers. The microgrid at the shelter includes solar carports and rooftop solar, a microgrid controller, and other electrical infrastructure. It also includes GreenStruxure’s Beyond the Grid® digital AI platform, which monitors the energy system and tracks performance.
“I am proud of the work we are doing in Montgomery County to increase clean energy generation and create resilient systems that can function during power outages,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “This is the third resiliency hub for county owned facilities and this one has already been tested. Days after being commissioned, when a small plane crashed into an electrical tower, leaving a wide swath of the area without power, the Animal Shelter and Adoption Center was able to keep the lights on and stay open thanks to the microgrid that provided clean back up energy. Montgomery County continues to be a leader in the state, region and the nation in climate change initiatives and this project is one of many examples of what we are doing to meet the goals of our Climate Action Plan.”
“This renewable energy project brings together two of my passions: pet adoption and environmental protection," said Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass. "This is a terrific partnership for Montgomery County. We must continue identifying opportunities to expand and integrate sustainable energy projects within all government facilities.”
Montgomery County’s new microgrid was tested last winter, only 10 days after commission, when a small plane crash resulted in widespread power failure across the county. Unlike other critical facilities that operate using traditional electrical grids, the animal shelter was able to maintain power and continue operations. GreenStruxure’s Beyond the Grid® digital platform automatically switched to backup power to continuously power the site during the outage.
“Montgomery County continues to embrace a future-proof energy system that will not only reduce environmental impacts but will also allow the animal shelter to save both time and money to put toward additional critical facility needs,” said Jana Gerber, North American Microgrid President at Schneider Electric. “This microgrid will give both shelter and county administrators peace of mind by assuring a reliable and uninterrupted power supply that leverages the power of renewable energy while considerably lowering the animal shelter's carbon impact.”
GreenStruxure provides Energy as a Service (EaaS), which is an outcome-based model that removes the development and operational risks from businesses. GreenStruxure finances, designs, builds, operates, and maintains onsite microgrids and delivers energy-as-a-service for clients under a long-term energy services agreement. This arrangement provides clients with cost-effective, sustainable, reliable and resilient electricity.
“EaaS has an array of benefits and allows companies to bypass the challenges caused by traditional power,” said Lista. “It’s a simple, cost-effective way for companies to mitigate risk while also making a positive environmental impact.”
GreenStruxure partners with companies in food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, biotech and pharma, technology and the advanced manufacturing space, as well as any commercial and industrial companies with decarbonization and resiliency goals.
About GreenStruxure
GreenStruxure is your new energy supply, delivering on-site, zero carbon, digital, cost-effective, resilient energy for commercial and industrial buildings in the U.S. They are leading a new category of EaaS companies, focusing on renewable energy microgrids and advanced digital services to help customers meet their business/sustainability goals. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint and take control of your energy, GreenStruxure, a joint venture of Schneider Electric and Huck Capital, with premium financing partner ClearGen LLC, a Blackstone company, is ready to work with you every step of the way. For more information, go to www.greenstruxure.com.
Contact:
John Reynolds
john.reynolds@buchananpr.com
