By David Pownall, VP of Power Systems, Schneider Electric UK&I
Power is no longer simply a facilities consideration, or an overhead to be managed in the background. Rising costs, constrained grid capacity, more frequent extreme weather and the accelerating electrification of heat, transport and operations mean that access to reliable power is becoming a strategic issue for organisations across the UK.
For businesses that cannot afford interruption, the consequences extend well beyond the meter. A loss of power can disrupt production, customer service and critical operations, while unmanaged peaks and inefficient energy use can erode margins. Energy managers are therefore being asked to balance three priorities that can no longer be treated separately: resilience, cost control and decarbonisation.
Microgrids offer a practical route to greater control. By coordinating on-site renewables, battery storage, controllable loads and intelligent energy management, they enable organisations to understand which loads are critical, where flexibility exists and when it makes most sense to generate, store, use or buy power. Rather than relying on standalone assets or reacting to disruption, organisations can build a more resilient, efficient energy system that supports day-to-day performance as well as long-term electrification.
Making Energy Resilience Part of Everyday Operations
Today’s power challenges extend well beyond emergency responses. While backup generation remains an important resource for sites where downtime carries significant operational or safety risks, organisations also need to manage costs, reduce emissions, and optimise day-to-day power use.
Standalone renewables can support sustainability goals, battery storage can help manage demand, and digital controls can improve visibility. The greatest value comes when these assets operate together as one coordinated system.
Microgrids are designed around this principle. They bring together on-site generation, energy storage and intelligent controls, allowing energy to be managed dynamically across a site. By balancing supply and demand in real time, they help organisations keep critical operations running while reducing exposure to wider grid volatility.
Coordinating Energy Assets for Greater Control
For many organisations, energy infrastructure has developed in layers. A site might have a grid connection, backup generation, solar panels, battery storage, building management systems, and monitoring tools, all introduced at different points and for different reasons.
That can limit the value each asset delivers. A battery can reduce peak demand and support resilience. Solar generation can lower emissions and help stabilise costs. Digital systems can improve decisions about when and how energy is used. When connected, these technologies become part of a wider energy strategy.
A microgrid allows energy managers to think in terms of outcomes: continuity, efficiency, cost predictability and carbon reduction. The focus shifts from managing separate technologies to coordinating a site’s energy use around the needs of the business.
Microgrids in Action: Resilience at Swansea University
The value of microgrids to operations becomes clearest when power disruption has direct consequences for the way a site operates.
One UK example is Swansea University Bay Campus, where the university sought to improve energy resilience, reduce reliance on centralised power and make better use of on-site renewable generation. For a modern academic facility, with teaching rooms, computer labs, study areas, offices and EV charging, reliable power is central to day-to-day operations and the student experience.
The project brought together rooftop solar PV, additional solar generation above an EV carport and a 250kWh battery energy storage system, supported by Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Microgrid software. This allowed the site to manage energy across the building, battery storage and EV chargers, distributing power where it was needed most while providing real-time visibility of energy use, savings and CO2 emissions.
By integrating solar, storage and digital control, the university strengthened resilience against external power disruption, maximised the value of renewable energy generation and supported more intelligent use of power across the campus. The project also created a live teaching asset for students, while supporting EV charging and contributing to a development that achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating.
From Energy Risk to Long-Term Business Value
Electrification, digitalisation, automation and new technologies are raising the bar for reliability and flexibility in power infrastructure, just as energy markets remain volatile and grid capacity is under pressure in many locations.
For energy managers, the challenge is no longer simply securing enough power, but orchestrating how that power is sourced, stored, protected and optimised across the site. That means prioritising critical loads, unlocking flexibility, integrating on-site renewables, and using storage to manage both resilience and cost, without compromising operational performance.
Microgrids bring these requirements together in a practical, scalable way. By intelligently coordinating distributed energy resources and enabling islanding where appropriate, they help organisations ride through disruption, reduce exposure to price shocks, and make better use of available grid capacity, all while creating a clearer pathway to decarbonisation.
Power can’t be treated as an overhead or a purely technical facilities issue. Microgrids are becoming a business enabler: strengthening continuity, safeguarding customer outcomes, improving operational efficiency, and giving organisations the control and confidence they need to operate—and invest—in an uncertain energy future.
This article appeared in the October 2026 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.
