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Grid Reliability an Increasing Motivation in CPower’s 2023 Customer-Powered GridTM Survey
Responses From 500 Energy Users Highlight Shifting Motivations for Participating in Distributed Energy Resource Monetization
BALTIMORE – April 13, 2023— CPower Energy (“CPower“), the national leader in unlocking the value of customer Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), today announced the results of its annual Customer-Powered Grid™ Survey. CPower surveys its customers each year to ensure customer satisfaction and gather insights into customers’ motivations for investing in DERs and participating in DER Monetization. Responses from approximately 500 CPower customers and partners across the company’s diverse customer base highlight shifting considerations driven by the need to respond to more frequent grid disruptions and scarcity events.
Grid Reliability an Increasing Motivation for Participation in Grid Services
The survey found that generating revenue (60%), reducing energy costs (56%) and supporting grid reliability (45%) are the top three reasons energy users participate in grid services programs. When compared to last year’s survey, grid reliability stood out as having a notable increase as a motivating factor for participation, increasing by five percentage points. More significant and unpredictable weather patterns and increased potential for brownouts and blackouts may be contributing to this shift, with energy users wanting to reinforce the reliability of their own operations while boosting their community’s resilience.
Lower Energy Costs, Sustainability and Resiliency Driving DER Implementation
When asked about motivations for implementing DERs, more than half (51%) of respondents cited lower energy costs. Sustainability was the second largest motivation (36%), followed by energy resiliency (31%). These insights highlight an opportunity to help energy users utilize their DERs to save on energy costs and earn revenue that can be reinvested for future operational or ESG initiatives.
Customers See Value in DER Monetization Supporting Business Goals
More than 88% of CPower customers confirmed that DER Monetization is having a positive impact on their business. Many customers use the revenue generated from their participation in wholesale market or utility grid programs to improve or invest in operational or sustainability initiatives for their organization.
“The results from our Customer-Powered Grid Survey show that our customers increasingly value DER Monetization because it ensures their own cost savings and operational reliability and helps them contribute to a more reliable energy grid for their community,” said Glenn Bogarde, Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing. “The needle is moving toward wider DER adoption, and so too is the understanding that the Customer-Powered Grid of behind-the-meter assets can deliver value not only to individual participants but to society as a whole.”
With 6.3 GW of DER capacity at more than 17,000 sites across the U.S., CPower was recognized by Wood Mackenzie as the North America leader for flexible capacity in its recent Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Market report. CPower serves many of the largest and best-known brands and organizations across big-box retail, data centers, commercial real estate, manufacturing, production, industrial processing, government and education, among other industries.
About CPower Energy
CPower Energy is the national leader of grid balancing and reliability solutions, creating a Customer-Powered Grid™ that will enable a flexible, clean and dependable energy future. With 6.3 GW of capacity at more than 17,000 sites across the U.S., we unlock the full value of distributed energy resources to strengthen the grid when and where it’s needed most. CPower is based in Baltimore, Maryland and is owned by LS Power, a development, investment and operating company focused on the power and energy infrastructure sector. For more information, visit: www.cpowerenergy.com.
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