Power generation firm NRG Energy and genset producer Cummins will combine on-site generators with distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) for commercial and industrial customers, the companies announced Wednesday.
The formal partnership is new, but NRG and Cummins have offered the combined service to several customers over recent years. The two companies will work together to maintain and manage the customer`s on-site energy assets, promising to save them as much as 15 percent in energy expenses.
The Cummins generator sets will be on-site for each customer, while the DERMS will be run remotely from NRG offices. The platform is managed both by software and real-time monitoring of customer usage and grid conditions, a spokesman said.
The combination will offer companies a backup generation solution in areas which commonly face potential outages or volatile demand, according to the release.
[Reliable power remains critical in the overall distributed energy equation, and this model leverages Cummins` expertise in making power generation equipment for the most harsh and demanding of operating conditions," said Norbert Nusterer, president of power systems business for Cummins Inc. [Having deployed several hundred megawatts and delivered strong economic returns and reliability to customers, this partnership is intended to expand on the experience we have gained. Our partnership with NRG brings together nearly 125 years of energy leadership to give more customers new ways to achieve their goals in environmental stewardship and cost and risk reduction."
Cummins and NRG will form a joint development team to pursue solution sales, and market and maintain energy assets to guarantee outcomes for end-use customers.
[Cummins and NRG have a shared vision to use new technologies, like this platform, to provide customers with reliable power and help navigate the increasingly complex energy market," said Robert Gaudette, President of NRG Business Solutions, in a statement. [This is just one example of how we can continue to optimize new and existing energy technologies so customers can use less, and pay less, for electricity. The power producer of tomorrow will do more than just move electrons; it will direct them where needed most – with measurable benefits for the customer, the grid and the environment."
Indiana-based Cummins has more than 55,000 employees globally and about 7,400 dealer locations. NRG Energy is a competitive electric generation firm and provides power to about 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the U.S.