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Illustrative underwriting example — not a customer case study

Neighborhood retail plaza — storage only

Cranston, Rhode Island · Neighborhood retail plaza, grocery anchor · 300 kW / 600 kWh storage, no solar

A storage-only case. The roof was too new to touch and largely occupied by refrigeration equipment, but the anchor tenant's compressors create a sharp, repeatable afternoon peak — which is exactly what a battery is for.

Row of grey commercial battery storage cabinets on a concrete pad behind a fence

Representative photography of this site type. Not a photograph of a customer property.

Modeled annual benefit
$58,000
Demand reduction plus modeled program value
Demand charges today
$95,400 / yr
530 kW billed peak at $15/kW-month
Solar
Not in scope
Roof area committed to refrigeration and RTU equipment
The tariff
  • Rhode Island Energy general-service demand rate with a billed-demand determinant near $15/kW.
  • Demand charges are the largest single controllable line on the bill.
  • A time differential exists but is too narrow to carry the case on arbitrage alone.
The site
  • Roof replaced two years ago and substantially occupied by refrigeration and rooftop units — solar deferred, not rejected.
  • Rear service yard with pad space, screening and clear fire access for the storage enclosures.
  • Existing switchgear accepted a 300 kW inverter block without a service upgrade.
The design
  • 300 kW / 600 kWh storage at the main service, sized to about 30% of billed peak at a two-hour duration.
  • Dispatch driven by the anchor tenant's compressor cycling profile from interval data.
  • Conduit and structural provisions left in place so solar can be added at the next roof cycle.
Modeled economics

Every line separated, with its own assumption.

Modeled annual economics for this example
LineModeled valueBasis
Demand-charge reduction$45,000 / yr300 kW shaved in 10 of 12 months at $15/kW
Program value$13,000 / yrModeled from published Rhode Island program structures; eligibility confirmed before any case is issued
Energy offset from solar$0No array in this scope

Modeled figures only. Not an operating result, not customer data, not a quote. Federal, state and utility incentive availability depends on project facts and applicable requirements; NOI does not provide tax advice.

What can delay or disqualify
  • The case depends on the anchor tenant's load; a tenant change or an equipment retrofit changes the peak profile.
  • Program eligibility and rates are verified per site and dated in the operating case.
  • Enclosure siting is subject to fire-code review, which can move the pad and the cost.
How this site runs through the five stages
  1. 01 Tariff read

    Rate schedule, demand determinants, and interval data from the utility.

  2. 02 Site validation

    Switchgear capacity, pad siting, fire access and screening requirements.

  3. 03 Design and underwriting

    Dispatch modeling against the measured peak, then financing underwriting.

  4. 04 Permitting and interconnection

    Fire-code review, city permitting, utility interconnection approval.

  5. 05 Operations

    Automated dispatch, monthly demand verification, maintenance and reporting.

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