Commercial and industrial organizations are increasingly turning to renewable energy and distributed resources as economic volatility reshapes corporate energy strategies, according to industry experts speaking during a recent energy management webinar.
The shift represents a fundamental change in how businesses view energy infrastructure—moving beyond simple cost reduction to treating renewable energy systems and energy efficiency opportunities as critical components of operational resilience and competitive positioning.
That’s why in E+E Leader’s hosted webinar titled, “Energy Cost Management Strategies in an Uncertain Macro Climate,” Energy-as-a-Service leader, Redaptive, and global consulting giant, PwC, met for an in-depth discussion focused on how organizations can build resilience in today’s uncertain economic environment, mitigate risk at their sites, and accelerate decarbonization - all with capital-light execution and energy-saving outcomes.
Our expert speakers, PwC’s Managing Director of Enterprise Strategy - Youssef Mestari and Redaptive’s Head of Product - Worth Gentry, shared many impactful insights, which we’ve broken down below. In addition, be sure to check out the full recording for even more expert advice from our session.
"Resiliency is playing a much bigger role in any decision-making process," said Worth Gentry, Head of Product at Redaptive, during the joint PwC-Redaptive webinar on energy cost management strategies. "Organizations that build resilience across facilities, finances, and operations will be best positioned for success in today's volatile climate."
The webinar highlighted several cases where renewable energy infrastructure proved essential for maintaining operations during grid disruptions. A global beverage producer in Puerto Rico deployed a microgrid system to ensure continuous operations despite the island’s chronic grid instability. Healthcare facilities are similarly investing in solar-plus-storage systems to maintain critical services during unexpected outages.
These implementations reflect a broader trend where distributed energy resources are becoming mission-critical infrastructure rather than optional sustainability initiatives.
"When you take a portfolio approach, bundling fast-payback upgrades like LED retrofits with longer-term investments such as HVAC modernization and renewable energy systems, you can meet ROI targets while advancing broader initiatives," explained Youssef Mestari, Managing Director of Energy Strategy & Transformation at PwC.
With capital expenditures under pressure across industries, Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) models are emerging as a pathway for organizations to deploy renewable energy infrastructure without significant upfront investments. These financing structures allow companies to modernize facilities with solar, storage, and efficiency technologies while preserving capital for core business operations.
The approach is particularly relevant as organizations face competing priorities between improving operational efficiency and investing in sustainable, resilient infrastructure. EaaS models enable businesses to achieve both objectives simultaneously.
Despite growing interest in renewable energy solutions, many organizations lack the fundamental data infrastructure needed to optimize their energy strategies. The speakers noted that companies often struggle with inadequate metering systems, fragmented data management, and insufficient technical resources to effectively monitor and act on energy performance data.
This data gap creates challenges for organizations seeking to maximize the value of renewable energy investments and identify optimal configurations for on-site generation and storage systems as detailed below.
The experts emphasized that successful renewable energy deployment requires formal strategic planning that aligns energy investments with broader business objectives.
"Very few organizations have a defined energy strategy," Mestari noted. "But once you start that conversation—once you frame energy as a business objective—you open the door to smarter decisions around savings, timing, financing, and impact."
For companies beginning this process, the recommended first steps include conducting comprehensive site inventories, analyzing utility consumption patterns, and evaluating existing equipment to identify opportunities for renewable energy integration.
The discussion comes as renewable energy costs continue to decline while grid reliability concerns grow in many regions. This combination is driving increased corporate adoption of distributed energy resources, with solar-plus-storage systems becoming particularly attractive for organizations prioritizing energy security.
Industry observers expect this trend to accelerate as businesses recognize that renewable energy infrastructure can simultaneously address cost management, sustainability goals, and operational resilience initiatives.
The webinar "Energy Cost Management Strategies in an Uncertain Macro-Climate" was hosted by Environment+Energy Leader with guests from PwC and Redaptive, featuring insights from energy management professionals across multiple industries.
