Distributed Energy Market Beginning to Recover

The market for engine generators, microturbines, and fuel cells dipped in 2002 but began to rebound in 2003, according to Primen, a Boulder, Colo.-based energy market intelligence company. The firm conducted 100 in-depth qualitative interviews with U.S. and Canadian commercial, industrial, and institutional electricity customers and surveyed more than 800 energy users. The 2003 Distributed Energy Market Study covered such topics as volatility in natural gas prices, concerns about energy security and reliability, and services customers expect from distributed energy providers. Through its research, Primen found that about 12,000 North American energy users with demand in the 100kW to 10MW range are currently exploring distributed energy resources (DER) options. These users rate themselves at least 50% likely to adopt a DER solution in the next two years.