Unlocking Value From Existing Solar: SolMicroGrid’s Array-to-Microgrid Program

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Ever feel like your company’s solar array could be doing more? SolMicroGrid has just launched a program that might be the answer. Its new “Array-to-Microgrid” solution lets businesses sell their existing solar systems for immediate cash while upgrading to a fully managed microgrid, without spending a dime on new equipment.

This Array-to-Microgrid (AtM) model looks to be a significant evolution in distributed energy strategy, enabling businesses to transition from passive solar generation to an integrated, resilient energy solution with no additional capital investment.

Overview

If you’re a business with solar panels already installed, SolMicroGrid will buy your system outright, giving you an immediate cash injection. Then they’ll transform it into something far more powerful — a comprehensive microgrid with energy storage, backup power, and smart management systems. It’s kind of like trading in your reliable but basic sedan for a fully-loaded smart vehicle, and getting paid to make the switch. But why would you consider this if you already have a system working for you?

For starters, you get cash up front, which is money you can put back into your core business. But the benefits go a lot deeper than that:

• No more maintenance headaches: SolMicroGrid takes over all operation and maintenance of your energy system
• True energy resilience: With added battery storage and backup generators, your business can keep running even when the grid goes down
• Smart energy management: Advanced systems that optimize when you use solar, stored, or grid power to minimize your costs
• EV charging capability: Support for adding electric vehicle charging to your facility
• Predictable energy costs: Protection against utility price spikes without capital investment

Key Benefits

Immediate Capital Infusion: By selling their installed solar system to SMG, businesses receive an upfront cash payment. This financial benefit allows for capital reallocation into core operations or other strategic initiatives, improving liquidity and operational flexibility.

Operational Outsourcing: Once SMG assumes ownership of the energy system, the customer is no longer responsible for maintenance, monitoring, or repair. SMG manages the performance and reliability of the system, eliminating operational burdens and associated costs.

Microgrid Integration & Energy Resilience: The AtM program enables the integration of additional energy assets, such as:

• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Provide energy during peak demand periods and during grid outages.
• Backup Generators: Ensure continuous power in the event of grid failure.
• Smart Energy Management Systems: Optimize energy consumption, prioritize the use of solar and stored energy, and reduce utility demand charges.
• EV Charging Infrastructure: Supports electric vehicle charging through sustainable on-site generation.

Together, these technologies create a resilient microgrid that allows facilities to maintain operations during outages and manage their energy usage more strategically.

Energy Cost Predictability & Savings: Through SolMicroGrid’s Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) model, businesses can access predictable, often reduced energy costs without requiring new capital investment. This model protects against energy price volatility and minimizes exposure to unplanned maintenance expenses.

How It Works

SolMicroGrid’s microgrid solutions are designed to optimize energy generation, storage, and consumption across multiple technologies:

• Solar PV (rooftop, ground-mount, or canopy): Generates electricity for immediate use or storage.
• Battery Storage: Enables load shifting and peak shaving by storing excess solar production for use during high-cost or outage periods.
• Advanced Control Systems: Monitor and manage energy sources and loads, enabling real-time optimization based on grid conditions and pricing.
• Backup Generation: Ensures continuity of power for critical operations during utility interruptions.
• Grid Integration: Draws electricity from the grid during off-peak times when rates are lowest.

This architecture aims to ensure both energy resilience and cost efficiency, which can support business continuity and reduce operational risk.

Strategic Relevance

As energy infrastructure ages and climate-related disruptions become more frequent, the importance of resilient and autonomous energy systems continues to grow. Traditional solar installations, while beneficial, can fall short in terms of flexibility and resilience. The AtM program can address this gap by converting static solar investments into dynamic, multi-source microgrids capable of sustaining operations through grid instability, pricing fluctuations, and evolving energy requirements.

Financing & Ownership Model

A defining feature of the AtM program is its no-capital-expenditure structure. SMG funds all upgrades, asset integration, and ongoing operations. Customers receive power through a structured EaaS agreement, effectively outsourcing the ownership and management of the energy system. This arrangement enables organizations to upgrade their energy infrastructure with zero capital outlay, while achieving operational and financial benefits.

Background & Experience

SolMicroGrid is a portfolio company of Morgan Stanley Energy Partners which specializes in distributed clean energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors. The company designs and operates scalable microgrid systems that combine solar generation with storage, backup generation, and intelligent energy controls.

Takeaway

SolMicroGrid’s Array-to-Microgrid program could provide a strategic solution for organizations looking to modernize their energy infrastructure without new capital investment. By monetizing existing solar arrays and transitioning to a microgrid, businesses may be able to reduce operational complexity, increase energy resilience, and realize long-term cost savings. The AtM model seems to offer a practical, scalable pathway to future-ready energy systems aligned with both financial and sustainability goals.