Generac acquires commercial and industrial energy storage provider

Generac Power Systems, a provider of home backup generators, battery energy storage, and other power products, announced it has acquired PowerPlay Battery Energy Storage Systems, an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm.

PowerPlay specializes in turnkey battery energy storage systems for commercial and industrial customers, with systems sized up to 7 MWh. It is a division of Sungrid, an energy storage EPC and operations and maintenance company.

Generac said the acquisition will help the company offer a more complete ecosystem of products and solutions to C&I customers.

The PowerPlay business will continue its operations in Cambridge, Canada, and serve as a dedicated research and development facility for Generac’s C&I battery energy storage system solutions. SunGrid Solutions will continue its energy storage EPC operations across the United States and Canada, specializing in solutions ranging from 10 MWh to 1 GWh.

“Various factors contribute to the need for energy storage, including the uptake of distributed solar, increased electrification of C&I facilities, rising utility rates, and possibility that the central grid can experience fluctuations due to weather, blackouts, or lack of infrastructure,” said Generac. “[Battery energy storage] systems up to 7 MWh are commonly deployed in C&I enterprises, including retail stores, restaurants, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, and healthcare facilities.”

Energy storage deployment continues to rise nationwide. Across all segments, Wood Mackenzie expects 12.9 GW / 35.8 GWh of storage to be installed in 2024. In its quarterly report, the firm raised its five-year forecast for grid-scale installations by 5% and residential sector installations by 8%. The five-year commercial, community, and industrial forecast was cut by 34% after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) made an unfavorable ruling on community solar. However, Wood Mackenzie sees a strong value proposition for C&I storage for years to come.

“The CCI segment continues to see the highest barriers to growth in the near-term, but its strong value proposition and emerging value streams will make it an exciting growth segment in the later years of our ten-year forecast,” said Wood Mackenzie.

From pv magazine US