Decentralised Energy Centres
Decentralised Energy Centres help you decouple your reliance on the central power grid by creating your own local system for generating, storing and managing your energy on site. They are a great way to improve your own energy security, cut costs and support your sustainability goals.
What is a DEC?
A DEC – sometimes called a small‑scale microgrid – is a local, client‑owned power plant that gives you complete flexibility over how you generate, store and use electricity.
At its heart is a commercial‑scale battery system, supported by renewable power generation such as solar, wind or hydro. Advances in both Lithium‑Iron Phosphate technology and Sodium Iron have made these systems more affordable and accessible, opening the door for businesses across many sectors to take control of their energy future.
At CES, we know every business is different. That’s why we’ll identify the best system for you so that your business can embrace the future, today.
How It Works
A DEC uses high‑capacity batteries connected to inverter and charger units, sized to match your demand and designed to expand as you grow.
These are “grid‑forming” systems, creating their own power network rather than relying on the National Grid. Renewable power generators charge the batteries, with any surplus directed straight to your operations. Every DEC we design is fully bespoke, so we can create just the size of supply your site needs now and build in scope to expand in the future.
Creating Renewable Power
If you’re serious about maximising your renewable energy use for your business, a DEC is a powerful solution.
It can combine green generation with biofuel back‑up to achieve 100% renewable status – something the National Grid cannot offer. That means that whatever the weather, your power supply will always be sustainable. We use a Victron system to ensure peak efficiency, reducing runtime and giving you the best value for your money.
The Victron setup controls the batteries, green production and fuel generators within your micro-grid, while a Loxone ecosystem controls both the consumers and system as a whole. And the great news is that we can monitor the system ourselves, giving our engineers a 24-hour view of performance across all sites we service.
What are the benefits?
Investing in a decentralised energy centre brings a host of advantages for your business, not least of which is the potential to operate on 100% renewable energy.
When paired with biofuel generators, a DEC can allow you to declare your site fully renewable, something that simply isn’t possible with a National Grid connection. This not only cuts your carbon footprint, but also strengthens your reputation as a sustainable organisation committed to protecting the planet and achieving net zero.
Without a grid connection, you avoid standing charges, agency fees and climate levies, keeping your costs down both now and into the future. And because you’re not on the grid, there are no grid restrictions. You also sidestep the need for costly connection approvals and the size limits that come with them.
With a DEC, your generation capacity is shaped entirely around your needs. You can scale up to meet demand, maximise income from surplus energy and keep operations running even during external power cuts. Many of our clients choose larger arrays for exactly this reason, particularly in high‑consumption sectors like data centres, where uninterrupted, efficient supply is critical.
Business suitability
DECs are ideal for organisations with high, consistent energy demands such as manufacturing, agriculture or data centres. They’re also a smart choice for remote sites, new commercial builds facing high grid connection costs, or businesses with access to natural resources like sunlight or agricultural by‑products.
In many cases, the capital cost of a DEC can be offset against the expense of bringing in a grid connection, delivering a strong return on investment.
What our customers think
CES delivered exactly what we needed to strengthen our position in the HS2 tender process. The installation was completed efficiently with minimal disruption to our operations. Not only does the system support our transition to electric vehicles and construction equipment, but it also powers our site workshop effectively. The aftercare service has been excellent, with CES handling all system registration and compliance requirements professionally. Their strategic approach to meeting our sustainability goals while supporting our business growth objectives has been invaluable. Thanks to Joe and all the team.
Ready to future-proof your business? Get in touch with us today.
If you would like to talk to us about upgrading your business’ current electrical infrastructure, or you want to learn more about how we can decarbonise your business, contact us. Please fill in the contact form below and a member of the team will be in touch. Alternatively, give us a call on 01743 850067.