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Understanding Energy as a Service (EaaS)

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In today’s rapidly evolving energy landscape, Energy as a Service (EaaS) is transforming how businesses and organizations can manage their power needs. This innovative approach offers a flexible, customer-focused solution that delivers cost savings, operational efficiency, and seamless energy management. SolMicroGrid’s EaaS business model offers distinct advantages within this expanding market.

What is Energy as a Service?

EaaS is an operating framework in which customers pay for energy solutions as a service, eliminating the need to own or manage energy infrastructure. This approach reduces upfront capital expenditure and shifts the burden of energy infrastructure development, construction, operations and maintenance to the service provider, allowing businesses to focus on their own core activities.

The Evolution of EaaS

Initially gaining traction in industries like healthcare and technology where uninterrupted power is crucial, EaaS has become increasingly popular as electricity prices continue to increase, and renewable energy systems grow more complex. This model offers businesses an efficient way to access sustainable energy without the typical capital investment.

SolMicroGrid’s EaaS Model

At SolMicroGrid, EaaS allows customers to pay only for the energy and services they use. This approach not only lowers energy costs but also optimizes consumption through the use of advanced distributed energy components including solar modules, inverters, sophisticated energy controllers, battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and generators. For example, by generating energy onsite through PV solar, storing excess energy in BESSs and distributing it intelligently, our microgrids offer a cost-effective and sustainable energy service.

Key Benefits of SolMicroGrid’s EaaS Solution

• Cost Savings and Predictable Pricing

SolMicroGrid provides renewable energy at rates 10-15% lower than traditional utility tariffs. AI-powered microgrid controllers enhance savings by optimizing electricity use, particularly during peak demand periods. A transparent billing structure clearly outlines the discounts available compared to our customers’ existing utility tariff rates.

• Sustainability Leadership

By partnering with SolMicroGrid, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and position themselves as sustainability leaders. The energy savings achieved through our solutions can materially support our customers’ ESG goals and commitments.

• Improved Reliability and Energy Independence

Distributed renewable energy systems provide enhanced resiliency during grid instability or even full outages. With various options to provide full resiliency when grid power is not available (“island mode”), businesses can maintain operations during grid disruptions or even extended blackouts.

• Energy Market Participation and Revenue Generation

SolMicroGrid’s systems may allow customers to elect to sell excess energy back to the grid or provide services such as frequency regulation and demand response. This transforms the microgrid from a purely cost-savings tool into a revenue-generating asset, further strengthening its value proposition.

• Tailored Solutions with Diverse DER Components

Highly customized energy solutions integrate a range of distributed energy resources (DER), such as PV solar modules, generators, BESSs, among others. This flexibility ensures that each microgrid is custom designed to meet the energy needs of a customer’s specific facility, delivering optimal performance and savings.

The Future of Energy as a Service

As extreme weather events increase and energy prices continue to rise, microgrid technology offers a clear path to energy independence and resiliency. Supported by Morgan Stanley Energy Partners, SolMicroGrid is strategically positioned to assist businesses in effectively navigating the clean energy transition through tailored solutions and advanced industry expertise.

By adopting SolMicroGrid’s EaaS offering, organizations can reduce costs, lower their carbon footprint, and gain a competitive edge in an increasingly energy-conscious market. As the energy landscape continues to evolve, EaaS stands at the forefront of innovation, providing a blueprint for the future of power management and distribution.

About SolMicroGrid

SolMicroGrid is a differentiated developer and operator of solar-enabled microgrid systems, offering energy resiliency and efficiency to commercial and industrial customers. The company’s service solution reduces operating expenses without the need for customer capital investment. SolMicroGrid is a portfolio company of Morgan Stanley Energy Partners. 

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Barry Sanders

Managing Principal, Merle Management

Barry Sanders is the Managing Principal of Merle Management LLC and is based near Boston. Mr. Sanders advises ClimateTech clients with growth and funding strategies and tactics. He also coaches executives and key investors to maximize potential.
He is also a Columbia Technology Ventures – New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) Entrepreneur-In-Residence. Mr. Sanders currently sits on the Board of Directors of ClimateTech companies.

Prior, he launched American DG Energy Inc. in the US and EuroSite Power Inc. in the UK from start-up through IPO. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer. The companies provided Energy-As-A-Service (EaaS) in the form of electricity, heat, hot water and cooling for C&I customers. He grew business to over $350 million in contract value.

Also, Mr. Sanders served in Executive roles with MicroLogic, Inc.; Schneider Electric (Andover Controls Corp.); Thermo Fisher (Tecogen Inc.); and NYSERDA. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Lally Business School at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Barry Sanders

Robert Duva

Senior Vice President, Operations

Bob Duva leads our Operations and Project Management teams. He brings over 38 years of experience in construction, energy efficiency technologies, automation, and renewables. His background includes growing talented engineering teams, managing projects across the continental U.S. and Hawaii, and developing creative solutions in the fields of demand response, solar production, battery integration, and remote automation and control.

Additionally, Bob has served as Engineer of Record for many Solar projects in the NJ/CT/MA area since 2010, being Licensed in those states as a Professional Engineer, as well as NY and PA. He also holds an Electrical Contracting License in NJ.

Bob Duva

Bill Gifford

Vice President, Business Development

Bill Gifford is focused on our business pipeline, building our business development team, and exploring new opportunities to expand our network of microgrid customers. He’s a seasoned industry veteran in C&I renewable energy sales and project management. Gifford joined SolMicroGrid from Dynamic Energy where he worked in various senior business development and revenue origination roles for five years. His previous experience includes roles at SolarCity which was acquired by Tesla. Gifford started his career as a solar installer in 2015, which provided valuable hands-on experience.

Gifford graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Political Science and Rutgers University with a Master of Public Administration.

Smiling white guy in blue suit in front of blurred building

Ryan Jordan

Executive Director, Morgan Stanley Energy Partners

Ryan Jordan is an Executive Director of Morgan Stanley and is based in New York. Mr. Jordan joined Morgan Stanley in 2009 as an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division, working in the firm’s Natural Resources Group in Houston. He joined Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) in New York in 2011 and focused on investments in the energy sector, prior to joining Morgan Stanley Energy Partners (MSEP) upon its inception as a separate investing team in 2015. Mr. Jordan currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sterling Energy, a portfolio company of MSCP, and of Specialized Desanders, M.G. Bryan, SolMicroGrid and Durango Midstream, all MSEP portfolio companies. Mr. Jordan holds a B.B.A. in Finance and the Business Honors Program from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ryan Jordan

Andrew Griffin

Executive Director, Morgan Stanley Energy Partners

Andrew Griffin is an Executive Director of Morgan Stanley and is based in Houston. Mr. Griffin joined Morgan Stanley Energy Partners in 2017 after completing graduate school. From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Griffin was an Associate at Lindsay Goldberg and, from 2011 to 2013, he worked as an Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions group of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Catalyst Energy Services, Mission Creek Resources and SolMicroGrid, all current MSEP portfolio companies. Mr. Griffin holds an A.B. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was a Palmer Scholar.

Andrew Griffin

John Moon

Head of Morgan Stanley Energy Partners

John Moon is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and Head of Morgan Stanley Energy Partners (MSEP). He is based in New York and Houston and has 25 years of investing experience. Mr. Moon served as a senior member of the Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) team from 1998 to 2004 and then rejoined Morgan Stanley in 2008.

Prior to his return to MSCP, Mr. Moon was a Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings LLC where he served on the Investment Committees of the Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy & Power Funds III and IV. Prior to Riverstone, Mr. Moon was a founding partner, Managing Director and member of the Management Committee of Metalmark Capital LLC, which sub-advised Morgan Stanley on investments held by MSCP III and MSCP IV beginning in September 2004. He is a former member of the Investment Committees of MSCP III and MSCP IV and Metalmark Capital Partners I.

Mr. Moon served on the Board of Directors of the following MSCP Fund portfolio companies: Aventine Renewable Energy, Cantera Resources, Canyon Gas Resources, Concert Capital Resources, Triana Energy/Columbia Natural Resources, Triana Energy II and Union Drilling. He currently serves as a director of Sterling Energy and Trinity CO2, both MSCP portfolio companies, and M.G. Bryan, XRI, Presidio Petroleum, Specialized Desanders, Durango Midstream, Mission Creek Resources, SolMicroGrid and Catalyst Energy Services, all MSEP portfolio companies. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 1998, Mr. Moon worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York.

Mr. Moon holds an A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College. He also holds an A.M. and Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University. Mr. Moon is an adjunct professor of finance at Columbia Business School.

John Moon

Richard Grosdidier

Executive Vice President, Commercial Execution

Richard Grosdidier brings more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in tax equity, project and structured finance, banking, treasury, M&A, project development, team leadership and complex transaction management to SolMicroGrid. He has also been instrumental in the creation of several startup companies in both structured finance and renewable energy.

Grosdidier has held senior finance and development positions with leading companies in the energy/renewable energy industry such as Innogy SE, NRG Energy, Next Era Energy Resources, DZ Bank AG, Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, Signal Capital and AT&T Capital. He was Senior Vice President of Commercial Execution at NRG and helped the company build a 1.8 GW utility scale solar portfolio through greenfield development and M&A. At Next Era Energy, Grosdidier was Senior Director of Project Finance and Analysis and played a key leadership role in multiple complex financings and M&A transactions. As Senior Energy Banker at DZ Bank, he developed several new markets for the bank. Grosdidier also was based in Asia for 8 years with responsibility for project finance leading the execution of numerous cross border financings. Early in his career he spent 10 years as an Institutional Tax Equity Investor focused on the energy sector.

Grosdidier holds a BS in Commerce & Finance from Wilkes University and an MBA and Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton.

Kirk Edelman

Chief Executive Officer

Kirk Edelman is focused on expanding business opportunities and driving organizational change to position SolMicroGrid for its next phase of growth. He is a driven leader and proven energy executive with a 25+ year history of success managing multi-cultural teams focused on investing in power, oil gas, natural resources, and infrastructure projects. Edelman served as President and CEO of Siemens Financial Services, Inc. where he built a $15 billion investment portfolio. He has held senior positions in financial services firms like Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and TD Securities and has led several energy investment organizations including those within Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, and GMAC. He was the Chief Commercial Officer of Safari Energy – a leading solar company which is now part of Carlyle’s Aspen Power platform – where he helped build a $300 million portfolio of operating assets. In 2022, Edelman became the Chief Commercial Officer of Verdagy, Inc., a pre-revenue green hydrogen company before accepting the CEO position at SolMicroGrid. He started his career as an engineer with Exxon and transitioned into more senior roles with companies like Catalyst Energy, Translink Transmission and Siemens.

Edelman graduated from Bucknell University  with a BS in Civil Engineering with honors and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School  with an MBA in Finance.  Board memberships have included The German American Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Martin Tuchman School of Management and Cornell University’s Program in Infrastructure Policy.

Kirk Edelman