Insights & Case Studies
The Verdant Energy blog publishes practical analysis, lessons learned from field projects, and guidance to help facility managers, municipal leaders, and sustainability teams plan renewable energy investments. Our editorial focus emphasizes measurable outcomes: production data, financing structures, and community benefits. Each article combines technical context with implementation experience so readers can assess whether a solution fits their site conditions and policy environment. Topics include site assessment best practices, procurement and warranty considerations, storage economics for demand charge management, and approaches to structuring grants and partnerships for community solar. Articles are written by engineers and project developers who lead on-the-ground installations and incorporate production results from commissioned systems. We aim to provide actionable information that supports informed decision-making and transparent evaluation of trade-offs across design, finance, and operations.
Practical guidance for owners
Short primers and long-form case studies to inform procurement and operations choices for renewable projects.
Featured article — Designing rooftop arrays for long-term performance
Rooftop solar remains one of the most cost-effective ways for institutions to stabilize energy costs while reducing emissions. Designing arrays for long-term performance begins with a careful structural evaluation and a realistic assessment of shading, roof penetrations, and expected maintenance access. We recommend conservative production modeling that includes soiling and degradation assumptions tailored to local climate and maintenance budgets. Module layout should minimize complex stringing across multiple roof planes to reduce mismatch losses and troubleshooting time. In addition to electrical design, mechanical attachment systems must be selected based on roof substrate, wind exposure, and warranty compatibility. Including a robust clause for commissioning acceptance and performance measurement in contracts reduces ambiguity and speeds resolution of issues discovered during initial operation. For many clients, extending performance warranties through balanced vendor selection and clear service-level agreements provides predictable outcomes that protect budget forecasts and operational plans. When owners combine conservative modeling with scheduled preventive maintenance and remote monitoring, rooftop systems perform more consistently against modeled expectations over decades.
- Model conservatively for soiling and degradation
- Design stringing to simplify maintenance
- Include commissioning and M&V in the contract
Case study — Community microgrid with measured islanding capability
A recent Verdant Energy deployment combined distributed solar with battery storage and automated transfer controls to support essential municipal services during grid outages. The initial scoping included load prioritization workshops with local stakeholders to identify critical infrastructure such as emergency services, water pumps, and communications. Engineering focused on protective relaying, transfer logic, and an operations plan that allowed safe islanding when the utility experienced interruptions. After commissioning, the system demonstrated successful autonomous transition and supported critical loads for 36 hours during a regional outage. Performance monitoring verified that storage cycling remained within expected state-of-health profiles after repeated events. Financing blended grant awards with municipal funds and a small PPA for non-essential loads to preserve budget neutrality. The project highlights how clear goals, transparent trade-offs, and community involvement produce resilient outcomes that can be replicated in similarly sized municipalities and critical service providers.
- Autonomous islanding validated for 36 hours
- Critical load uptime maintained during grid outage
- Financing combined grants and structured PPA
Guide — When to add storage: an owner’s primer
Energy storage adds resilience and a flexible asset for energy cost management, but owners should evaluate use cases, lifecycle cost, and operational complexity before committing. For facilities with high demand charges, storage sized for peak shaving can produce clear annual savings and short payback periods. For resilience-focused sites, storage sizing should be driven by required backup duration and the loads prioritized for continuity. Integration complexity increases when adding existing generators, islanding controls, or multiple behind-the-meter resources. Owners should plan for life-cycle replacement costs and decommissioning. Controls and monitoring are essential to preserve battery health and capture value; poorly configured dispatch can accelerate degradation and reduce economic return. A best-practice approach includes clear definitions of objectives, conservative life-cycle models, and warranties or service agreements that align incentives between the owner and the provider. When these elements are combined, storage becomes a powerful tool to enhance reliability and extract additional value from onsite generation assets.
- How is state-of-health monitored and reported?
- What are replacement and decommissioning assumptions?
- How will controls prioritize resilience vs. cost savings?