NRG Energy | Sustainable Business Solutions

Our team makes sustainability a reality for organizations by developing customized energy solutions based on their needs. These solutions include demand response, renewables, thermal, commodity sales, energy efficiency and energy management services. Responding to the business goals of ROI- driven companies, our projects span multiple industries and range from 100 MW utility-scale renewable solutions to o -grid power solutions that employ small wind turbines and battery storage. See a complete list of offerings here.

ON-SITE SOLAR:

Many companies look to reduce their dependence on traditional energy generation while cutting operating costs and maintaining business performance. Our on- site solar solutions help corporate sustainability leaders meet these goals.

Cisco

We developed a 20 MW solar energy facility that will generate power for Cisco’s San Jose headquarters and surrounding Bay Area locations. The partnership aims to help the facility reach its goal of using renewable sources for at least 25 percent of all its electricity needs by the end of 2017.

Whole Foods Market

We began developing an energy solution for Whole Foods Market as bright as its corporate values. The rooftop solar installations will increase the amount of clean, onsite renewable energy used by its stores and distribution centers across multiple states.

With some sites scheduled to launch in 2017, the NRG team spent most of 2016 diligently moving through the development process for the sites within each state.

MGM Resorts International

We completed construction on one of the world’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic arrays. Located at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas, the installation is expected to displace approximately 8,400 metric tons of CO2 annually, equal to taking more than 1,700 cars o the road.

Using Ten K Solar’s innovative REFLECT system, this rooftop installation produces 25 percent of the power demand for Mandalay Bay at peak production. It also lowers demand on the southern Nevada electricity grid during times of peak electricity demand and removes the need to import power, reducing energy costs for the entire city. It’s part of our commitment to helping our enterprise partners meet their renewable energy goals. Learn more about the Mandalay Bay installation here.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS:

We’re turning sustainable energy into reality through customized solutions that can meet both environmental and economic goals.

Preferred resources

Working with Ice Energy, we are in the early stages of deploying their Ice Bear® technology in Southern California. This system transforms inefficient and polluting air conditioners into efficient and cleaner cooling systems. It also reduces power consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Along with reducing electric bills for commercial and industrial customers that enroll in our program, this breakthrough technology will enable us to improve the efficiency and reliability of the electric grid in Southern California.

Vital to optimizing the sales process for the Ice
Bear technology is the NRG-developed SpaceTagTM platform, a patent-pending geospatial analytics software platform. Using technology built in-house, the platform determines the compatibility of different buildings across a target region for distributed energy products by harvesting, synthesizing and analyzing massive amounts of data for business locations.

The platform has multiple applications and enables the NRG team to automatically identify the best solutions for each customer, making the potential customer identification and acquisition process more accurate and efficient. The SpaceTagTM platform is currently being leveraged to target customers for the Ice Bear program and other distributed energy solutions within different utility territories.

Energy storage

The ability to store energy during peak renewable production and deploy it when the sun and wind are unavailable is crucial to the power systems of the future. Battery storage remains one of the most expensive energy technologies, but its performance and costs continue to improve.

In August 2016, we joined a research initiative with Microsoft and the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute to explore the battery’s role in a grid increasingly powered by renewables. The initiative looks at the performance of flow battery technology and its potential to reduce renewable energy losses and improve grid reliability.

DEMAND RESPONSE:

Demand response means committing to use less energy when more is demanded of the electric grid. End users may receive financial incentives to use less during critical times. For utilities, these commitments lower the potential for brownouts and provide an alternative to building new plants or investing in expensive capital improvements.

NRG Curtailment Services

Energy demand is ever-increasing, but the NRG Curtailment Solutions demand response provider allows consumers to help keep the grid stable and earn valuable cash payments or bill credits by lowering power consumption during specific time periods when the grid is under stress.

Utilities and regulatory commissions across the continent are setting goals to increase energy supplies from renewable resources and decrease reliance on costly power plants, and demand response has become an increasingly important component of electrical system planning in North America.

Our portfolio of strategic programs is designed to advance the energy objectives of commercial and industrial companies. Positioned in six key markets

(NYISO, PJM, ERCOT, CAISO, ISO NE, IESO), we craft each of our offerings to meet and exceed the requirements of a fast-paced, ever-evolving regulatory landscape.

NRG Reliability Solutions

With NRG Reliability Solutions, business consumers don’t have to turn anyone away due to an outage. We deliver custom, quality energy solutions to hundreds of businesses and organizations across the U.S. Our power generation capabilities are tailored to t each customer, from retail stores and schools to industrial refineries and water treatment plants.

As a single-service provider, we own, install, operate and maintain the equipment that powers our customers’ businesses. We also manage every stage of every project, which allows our customers to focus on what they do best – run their business.

Sustainable Energy Advisory

Launched in late 2016, NRG’s Sustainable Energy Advisory helps organizations realize the full potential of their sustainability goals. We understand that constant change makes it di cult to establish, prioritize and execute sustainability strategies. Regardless of where our customers are in their sustainability journey,
we draw from our deep sustainability and energy experience to design custom sustainability goals, strategies and solutions to make sustainable attainable. Learn more here.

COMMUNITY SOLAR:

The idea behind community solar is simple: empower people to tap into clean and renewable solar energy even when their homes or businesses can’t support solar panels. The demand for solar energy has increased. Oftentimes, however, those who want it most are excluded because they live in an apartment or townhome community or their roofs simply face the wrong direction.

Community solar solutions make it easier than ever to enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of solar power – no roof required. Users sign up to join an o -site solar garden near their community. Once assigned, they have the opportunity to reduce their average energy bills over the course of their lease. They also potentially share the cost of a solar installation with their neighbors and collectively reap the benefits of clean and renewable solar power.

In 2016, we further developed our community solar business to serve the needs of more than 2,670 residential and commercial customers in Massachusetts and Minnesota:

• Spencer, Massachusetts – Our largest community solar project in the U.S. came online in 2016; it serves the electricity needs of more than 1,500 residential and commercial customers
• Pepperell, Massachusetts – In 2016, this community solar farm began providing power for approximately 170 households; residents in apartments, townhomes and homes now have access to affordable solar power
• Minnesota Community Solar – Scheduled to be online in 2017, more than 1,000 residents and several large businesses, such as U.S. Bank, Land O’Lakes and Macy’s, have already come onboard

Download NRG Energy’s Sustainability Report here.

Learn more about NRG Energy’s sustainability initiatives here.