Distribution & Logistics
Distribution and logistics facilities are critical supply chain hubs that depend on having 100% reliable electricity. Scale’s advanced microgrids provide fast, automatic transitions to backup power while locking in lower electricity costs.
Rising Electricity Risks
Distribution and logistics facilities place a premium on electricity reliability and power quality, as even brief power outages can lead to cascading delays, lost revenues, and angry customers.
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
Average US outage hours are at their highest level in over a decade, with almost every region of the country experiencing a year with 8 or more hours of outages in recent memory.
Almost 80% of outages are caused by severe weather events, and the number of these outages have doubled over the last decade.
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
The cost of outages can really add up for distribution and logistics facilities, especially as warehouse operations become more automated and supply chains become more interdependent.
These costs include both direct costs, such as lost revenues and idle workers, and indirect costs, including expediting fees, SLA penalities, and reputational damage.
Utility rates are skyrocketing, far outpacing inflation with increases of over 25% increase nationally over the past 5 years - and over 50% in the mid-Atlantic, northeast, and California.
The fastest-growing components are demand-based charges (including capacity charges) and fixed costs, challenging traditional energy cost management strategies.
Redefining Resilience
Scale’s advanced microgrids provide fast, automatic transitions to backup power while locking in lower electricity costs, making distribution and logistics facilities resilient to today’s growing energy risks.
Optimized Cost Savings
Lock in fixed, lower energy costs and adapt to changing rate structures
Enhanced Reliability
Fast transitions to backup power protect your critical operations from disruption
Faster Time-To-Power
Power new facilities or expansions ahead of utility service to avoid delays
Advanced Microgrids
Scale’s advanced microgrids are integrated systems of on-site energy infrastructure, with multiple distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar, battery storage, and generators, and optimal dispatch via customized controls.
Solar
Typically the cheapest source of kilowatt-hours, solar arrays lower energy costs and improve sustainability by generating zero-emission power from the sun.
Pairing solar with optimized battery storage is key to maximizing its value, particularly where regulations have reduced the value of solar-only systems.
Battery
With or without solar, battery storage lowers energy costs by reducing grid use during the hours of the day, month, and year when utility prices are highest.
Batteries can also provide near- instantaneous transitions to backup power, eliminating disruptions to operations when the grid goes down.
Controls
Microgrid controls optimize dispatch of each resource to maximize value, provide fast, automatic transitions to backup power, and enable speed-to-power for facilities without grid access.
Scale's industry-leading expertise allows us to configure these controls in-house, customizing them to the specific needs of each customer facility.
Generator
Fuel-based generators provide a source of unlimited-duration backup power for extended outages. Generators also provide prime power to off-grid systems.
Scale can integrate existing backup generators or new, low-emission natural gas gensets we design and commission in-house for maximum reliability.
A Distribution Facility Case Study
QCD is one of the premier providers of last-mile freight and distribution services for iconic restaurant brands across the US. Scale's first-of-its-kind microgrid at QCD’s Los Angeles-area facility will supply power to chargers for a fleet of 30 Volvo VNR Electric delivery trucks, while also providing enhanced reliability for the refrigerated warehouse. Importantly, the microgrid allowed QCD to begin powering its trucks faster than if it had waited for a utility service upgrade, and it will deliver cost savings and emission reductions compared to utility power.
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The next level of on-site energy.
Backup Generator
Advanced Microgrid
Solar
Full Lifecycle Support
Scale provides advanced microgrids under a microgrid-as-a-service model, under which we take full responsibility for the entire project lifecycle, from design and construction through long-term ownership and operations.
This service model enables manufacturing industry customers to eliminate up-front costs and minimize risks by leveraging Scale’s industry-leading expertise, proprietary software platform, and capital resources to ensure successful advanced microgrid projects.
Design
Build
