However, many medium and large commercial utility customers in Iowa are subject to complex rate structures that can vary widely across neighboring utility territories. Until now, solar has been out of reach for these large electrical users.
Stuff Etc’s flagship Coralville retail location and corporate headquarters were subject to net metering constraints as a customer of Linn County REC. As a workaround, Ideal Energy engineered a system based on ‘peak shaving,’ combing solar panels and a battery energy storage system (BESS). This system prevents large spikes in power demand during peak times, which can trigger utilities to increase a customer’s electrical costs for the entire year.
“Our system places a specific threshold on the building’s demand, and anytime there’s power drawn above that, it will drain the batteries instead of pulling from the grid,” said Deniz Comez, Ideal Energy’s Director of Design.