Why Should I Care About the Source of My Energy?

If you’re like most everyday energy users, you likely don’t spend much time thinking about the origins of your power or the lengths it traveled to keep your world functioning as it should. If anything, the daily flow of energy is like the package from Amazon that just showed up on your doorstep… it’s more of an inevitability in the background of your life than an urgent matter demanding your attention.

But a closer look may be more revealing than you’d expect. If you were to trace your energy from the original source of its raw materials, the journey would likely cover hundreds or thousands of miles. Along the way, you’d be certain to discover some serious inefficiencies and unnecessary complications. The choice to make your energy production a more local affair comes with all kinds of easy opportunities for an upgraded energy experience, including reduced spending and improved reliability.

Distributed energy—a term for a power source that operates on a localized scale and generates power at or near the point where it will be put to use—carries major benefits and is more accessible than you might expect. Here’s why it pays to bring a source of power closer to home.

Distributed energy reduces your risk of power outages

There’s a very simple truth at play here: When your energy has to travel farther on its journey to you, there are more chances for it to encounter insurmountable barriers. These can come in the form of damaged power lines, mechanical problems at a power plant, excessive demand that leads to system failure… the list goes on. 

Distributed energy provides a head-on solution by bringing power generation directly to you. When you’re able to produce clean energy on your property and put it to use in the same place, the faulty power lines or frozen-over machinery that are malfunctioning miles away don’t have the same grave effects. Plus, battery storage makes it possible to harness the power you’ve generated even in moments when new energy isn’t actively being generated.

If you’ve ever experienced an outage, we don’t have to spell out the reasons why business owners should want to avoid them. They’re unbelievably inconvenient, don’t offer any predictable timeline for a return to normal operations, and can end up being tremendously expensive. By bringing on-site energy generation to your property, you’ll be giving yourself a form of insurance that will save you time and money the next time problems on the larger power grid arise.

And speaking of saving money…

Distributed energy is better for a stable budget

The global oil and gas markets involve a huge number of moving pieces and self-interested players, with geopolitical turmoil and profit-driven decisions making energy prices susceptible to sudden fluctuations and major spikes. This leaves each of us with little to no control over the amount of money we spend on our power.

Meanwhile, on-site solar power generation involves… you and the sun. It’s a much more predictable, direct relationship. You’ll see that reflected in the amount of money you spend on energy, with solar undercutting traditional power prices and providing a level of predictability that would otherwise be unattainable.

By signing a Power Purchase Agreement with Catalyst Power, you’ll be establishing lower energy prices that will remain available to you throughout the duration of your lease. Plus, you’ll start saving immediately, with reduced power bills coming your way the moment your Connected Microgrid or Community Solar connection starts providing energy.

While we’re on the topic of saving money, it’s worth noting that Catalyst Power’s distributed energy solutions are facilitated at no cost to you. All of these operational and financial improvements are ready and waiting, right now, with zero additional spending on your part.

Distributed energy is starting to sound like a pretty good idea, right? Keep reading. There are even more advantages in store!

Distributed energy is a big step toward a healthier planet

If you want to start taking more active steps toward fighting climate change (and you definitely should), the pursuit of distributed energy is an impactful way to begin. The process required to get traditional power sources from raw material to end user can be extremely environmentally taxing. After natural gas and oil are mined, whether in a rural county or far off the coast, they’re shipped across the country and around the world in a process that makes heavy use of boats, trucks, and planes.

In fact, every step required to ensure the usability of oil and gas can be consequential for the planet: Extraction, transportation, refining, and more transportation to the point of use or sale. Then, of course, the product is actually put to use, burned for energy in a process that yields…you guessed it. Even more negative effects on the earth.

Honestly, it’s hard to overstate the carbon-intensive consequences associated with our need to move oil and gas all across the country and around the world, from invasive infrastructure and ongoing construction needs to the obvious risks of spillage and leaks. Meanwhile, distributed energy holds the potential to eliminate this dirty, damaging supply chain. Your energy is created in the same location where it needs to be used, and it promises to power your business without any damaging byproducts. That’s a massive upgrade for the world all around us.

Hopefully, it’s clear by now that distributed energy is an opportunity that carries some major advantages. It’s reliable, financially beneficial, and environmentally responsible. Better yet: It’s available to you right now! Catalyst Power’s solar solutions are designed specifically to bring localized power resources to middle-market businesses, upgrading every aspect of your energy use along the way. Learn more about how easy it is to get started.