This report by Enel X published Sept 2020 notes that as the grid adapts to new realities, utilities and electric grid operators are making changes to their rate structures and market rules. They are imposing new and increasingly complex charges on their customers’ bills, and offering financial compensation for large energy consumers that help alleviate some of their most complex challenges. For commercial- and industrial (C & I) energy consumers, this creates incentives to invest in distributed energy resources (DERs) that can manage facility exposure to the high costs of consuming energy from the grid. New opportunities could emerge for flexible financing options to help C&I energy consumers integrate and upgrade DERs to capture that value without taking on the risk of a capital investment.
Key words: energy management, HVAC, lighting systems/controls, large building controls/automation, intelligent buildings, demand response, energy storage, solar energy, back-up generation, distributed energy resources