Subsectors | Distributed Generation / Off-Grid
- Distributed generation (DG), led by photovoltaics (PV) & energy storage (ES), is becoming a prominent force in remote areas and frontier markets, driven by:
- declining PV & ES costs
- ‘smart’/digital technologies
- environmental/development concerns (e.g. SDG7)
- .. and facilitated by innovative business models and funding schemes
- Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar (generation) was the first segment to take-off, followed by grid-oriented business models
- Emerging service opportunities include energy efficiency, HVAC, refrigeration
- The off-grid market is spreading to Asia (SEA, India …) and to larger projects, for the latter proving to be a compelling solution for: commercial and industrial (C&I) and energy access needs; grid balancing & utility tasks; satisfying mines, military and campus requirements
- Energy/Power majors – facing disruption in their traditional markets – are ambitious in relation to energy access goals in frontier markets as well as actively embracing decentralised technologies and B2B/B2C offerings in their core markets; acquisitions or JVs with start-ups are an integral part of that strategy
- Large (smart) grid OEMs are expanding their portfolios – new controller products, either an integrated control system or software platform for small-scale grids, facilitating the combination of multiple generation sources (electricity grid, diesel, PV and ES) even for relatively small sites
