Energy Challenges and Load Shedding: GreenYellow strengthens its decarbonization offerings platform with its 'Battery as a Service' [BaaS] solution
- Assisting businesses and local authorities in their decarbonization trajectory and energy transition involves addressing numerous challenges, particularly those related to the intermittent nature of renewable energies and network infrastructure in certain geographical areas. In this context, GreenYellow is expanding its range of solutions by offering a turnkey and fully financed 'Battery as a Service' (BaaS) offer.
- Currently operational at non-food retailer Retailability's sites, a key player in the apparel sector in South Africa, this solution comes into play amid a persistent energy crisis and notable issues of electrical network reliability in the country. It is integrated into an energy efficiency program deployed across the entire store network of the Retailability group, resulting in an average reduction of over 40% in overall electricity consumption for the stores.
- This BaaS initiative is part of the Group's expertise deployment in the "Microgrid as a Service" (MaaS) offering.
LAUNCH OF A NEW 'BATTERY AS A SERVICE' OFFER
GreenYellow assists its clients in achieving energy independence. In this perspective, the group enhances its expertise in energy storage, coupled with consumption management and photovoltaic production, through its new customized and 100% financed offer, "Battery as a Service."
The configurations, leveraging battery usage, enable the combination of peak tariff arbitrage, increased absorption of solar power by the client, as well as the provision of additional services to the grid or supply reliability, displaying optimal levels of profitability. Furthermore, the "As a Service" financial model allows customers to bypass an initial investment while accessing the solution through a service fee that ensures performance and availability. These proposals prove particularly attractive in an economic context where many companies prefer to direct their investments towards their core business or productive projects, and where the cost of credit and its limited availability constrain some of them in their strategic options.
GreenYellow has proven expertise in the field of decentralized solar combined with battery storage, totalling an operational capacity of 6.4 MWh in various regions, including France, the Indian Ocean, South Africa, and Vietnam.
A SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED SOLUTION AT A RETAILER IN SOUTH AFRICA, COUPLED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS
In line with observed energy curfew measures and sporadic power cuts that sometimes affect multiple European countries, South Africa has been experiencing a persistent energy crisis since 2020. This crisis is characterized by recurrent load shedding, now occurring daily in recent months (load shedding at stages 3 and 4 on an 8-point scale) and lasting up to 16 hours per day (stage 8 being >13 hours).
The devastating consequences of this situation are felt across all businesses, regardless of their size, resulting in significant impacts on income, food and supply chains, investments, the use of energy from alternative sources, and productivity. The retail sector is particularly affected by this crisis, experiencing forced closures of sites for several hours each day.
Le Retailability Group, a major player in the apparel sector with a presence in shopping malls, is grappling with the tangible impacts of this energy crisis. For many stores in the group that do not have access to backup generators provided by landlords to mitigate disruptions caused by load shedding, this leads to issues such as the inability to operate, loss of goods due to theft, and a decrease in revenue during load shedding periods.
In response to this challenge, the Retailability Group has renewed its trust in GreenYellow, which has already implemented an energy efficiency program in over 108 stores nationwide as part of its Energy Performance Contract offering. These projects have been coupled with a Battery-as-a-Service solution for an initial set of 6 sites requiring urgent backup power installation. Retailability was seeking a system capable of sustaining its operations up to stage 8 of load shedding (>13 hours of power cuts).
This backup battery system, incorporating the latest technologies, powers up to 50% of the store lighting, point-of-sale terminals, security systems, and the network during power outages.
A SOLUTION INTEGRATED WITH THE GROUP'S EXPERTISE IN 'MICROGRID AS A SERVICE' (MAAS)
This BaaS solution integrates with GreenYellow's Microgrid as a Service (MaaS) offer. It serves as a complementary solution for its existing clients in the retail, tertiary, and industrial sectors who have already implemented solar solutions or energy efficiency initiatives.
For example, she has already won over Nutripick Group, , a company specializing in the packaging of fruits and vegetables, which is renewing its trust in GreenYellow South Africa. Nutripick has chosen a combined solution of rooftop solar power for self-consumption, operational since 2023, along with a project incorporating energy efficiency and battery storage.
As part of this MaaS initiative, GreenYellow's projected investments amount to a minimum of 75 million euros by 2025.