Decentralized renewables fuel sustainability

Sprawling wind farms and giant solar collection facilities may seem like the future of renewable resources. Yet, as organizations venture deeper into sustainability and look for ways to further reduce their carbon emissions, many are learning that it pays to think small.

Decentralized renewables—things like rooftop solar, small wind turbines, micro-hydropower, geothermal, and biogas—are tilting the sustainability equation in new directions. They’re helping companies better manage power consumption and costs internally while improving energy utilization across an extended supply chain.

Amid high fuel prices, geopolitical conflicts, supply chain disruptions, and extreme weather events, decentralized renewables deliver greater flexibility, resilience, and sustainability. “Organizations benefit from a cost perspective, but they also gain a more dependable power supply with emergency power during natural disasters such as a hurricane or earthquake,” says David R. Bernier, senior vice president of energy for Stantec Engineering, a firm that specializes in decentralized renewable installations.