How Future Businesses Will Benefit from Clean Energy Storage

By Kayla Matthews

No matter which side of the climate change argument you find yourself on, chances are good you’d agree that it’s in humankind’s best interest to do what we can to reduce our impact on the environment and consistently seek out renewable energy.

In addition to protecting the environment, green energy also promises another welcome benefit in the business world: that of reduced utility bills. Unfortunately, in many cases, it’s been easier said than done for businesses to operate completely on renewable energy.

As it stands now, the problem with renewable energy is that we’ve not yet figured out how to store it in such a way that we’re able to use it to power our businesses around the clock. For example, wind energy can’t be harvested unless there’s wind; solar energy can’t be produced without sunlight; and hydroelectric energy can’t be produced unless there’s flowing water. Since you can’t really expect a business to shutter its doors for the day simply because it’s cloudy, these problems need to be addressed before one can reasonably expect throngs of business owners to migrate to new energy sources.

But there’s good news: Thanks to research and development breakthroughs taking place in the clean energy storage market, business owners won’t even need to know anything about the basic mechanics of air compressors, batteries or solar panels to take advantage of renewable energy sources. In fact, there’s a good chance that many organizations will be able to affordably run their businesses completely on renewable energy in the very near future.

So, why exactly should business owners be interested in clean energy storage? Let’s take a look at what the transformative technology promises:

Competitive advantage

Clean energy storage, like compressed air energy storage, promises to reduce electricity and other energy costs. For example, studies show that the technology may very well end up saving Ontario, Canada, $8 billion in energy costs over the next two decades.

While your business probably won’t generate that kind of savings, you’ll certainly see a healthier bottom line. In other words, clean energy storage systems give you more money to invest in new initiatives, new employees or new markets.

It’s forward-thinking

There’s a reason companies like Tesla are investing so heavily in the clean energy storage market: It’s clearly the future.

You can’t really control the prices of utilities, so there’s no way of knowing what your business might be paying for energy in five, 10 or 20 years. You also don’t know what kind of regulations government agencies might put on businesses to force them to switch to renewables.

By being proactive and adopting clean energy storage systems early on, you’re positioning your business ahead of the curve — and saving yourself an inevitable headache somewhere down the line.

Great PR

By transitioning to renewable energy, your business stands to benefit from a PR blitz that should send sales in the right direction. Today’s customers are increasingly supporting businesses that they agree with ideologically.

Just look at how many folks flock to Chipotle thanks to its commitment to “food with integrity” and its distaste of factory farming. Likewise, when your business runs wholly on renewable energy, you’re able to share that information with the public. You better believe that at least some folks will start doing business with you because of your behavior toward the environment.

A revenue source?

If your renewable energy plans are designed well enough, you may even have a chance to generate extra energy and sell it back at a profit. Since solar electricity has come down in price in recent years, many homeowners, business owners and landlords have taken advantage of this by selling excess electricity generated from their investments back into the grid. Who knows? If you play your cards right, not only will your investment in clean energy storage reduce your costs over time, but you may even stumble across a new revenue source!

Clean energy storage systems are already here, though they might not yet be priced within everyone’s budget. But that day is coming soon, and you’d be smart to keep your eyes open for it.

Image by Skitterphoto