Solar energy storage has another important cost-saving aspect for businesses. Commercial and industrial customers of the utilities typically pay a demand charge as part of their electric bills, on top of what they pay for the actual amount of electricity they consume. “Demand” refers to how much electricity a customer draws from the grid at any given time.
For most companies, their highest demand of the month, even if it’s only for 15 minutes, determines the demand rate the utility charges the customer for the entire month. These charges can be substantial—often 30 to 70 percent of the monthly electric bill.
Now, for the first time, companies have a way to influence high demand rates without simply reducing usage.
Companies that install solar energy systems and solar energy storage systems can draw from their stored power during peak operations, lowering their demand on the utility grid, the resulting demand rate, and their electric bills in one fell swoop.