Energy markets are changing at a pace and scale that few could have predicted just a few years ago. For organizations that depend on reliable, cost-effective power—whether they are industrial operators, logistics providers, infrastructure owners, or rural communities—this change brings both risk and opportunity. The grid is becoming more complex, less predictable, and in many cases, more expensive to rely on as a sole source of electricity. In this climate, microgrids and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are no longer niche technologies; they are becoming essential tools for operational continuity, cost management, and sustainability.
The drivers behind this shift are both structural and immediate. Aging utility infrastructure, coupled with a growing share of variable renewable generation, has increased the frequency and impact of outages in many regions. Extreme weather events, from hurricanes to wildfires, are pushing the grid to its limits. At the same time, evolving energy usage patterns—such as the rapid growth of electric vehicles, AI-driven data centers, and high-density cold storage—are increasing demand in ways that traditional utility expansion cannot quickly accommodate. This gap between demand and dependable supply is where microgrids excel, offering localized, controllable generation that can keep critical operations running when the broader grid falters.
Recent policy changes have added urgency to the decision-making process. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) has significantly altered the landscape for clean energy incentives. Solar and wind tax credits, which for years have been cornerstones of renewable project economics, are now scheduled to sunset far sooner than previously anticipated. Projects seeking to claim these benefits must begin construction by mid-2026 or risk losing eligibility altogether, and the popular 30% residential solar credit is slated to end at the close of 2025. For many developers and property owners, these accelerated timelines create a race against the clock.
However, not all technologies are being phased out of federal support. Incentives remain intact for certain advanced generation systems, including fuel cells and linear generators. These technologies, which can deliver clean, dispatchable power without the intermittency challenges of solar and wind, are still eligible for substantial federal tax credits under Section 48E of the Internal Revenue Code. For organizations seeking to secure incentives while avoiding the project bottlenecks that are likely to affect solar development, fuel cell– and linear generator–based microgrids offer a compelling pathway.
In parallel, the market environment for monetizing onsite power has never been more favorable. While traditional net metering programs are being scaled back in many states, new revenue opportunities are expanding in other areas. Demand response programs pay asset owners to reduce or shift consumption during peak periods, while participation in day-ahead and ancillary service markets enables microgrid operators to sell excess generation or capacity directly into the grid. These mechanisms reward flexibility and dispatchability—strengths of well-designed microgrids—making it possible to transform a resilience investment into a recurring revenue stream.
The benefits of microgrids in this environment extend well beyond policy and revenue. Properly designed, they can serve as both a shield and a lever—shielding operations from outages, price volatility, and regulatory uncertainty, while leveraging opportunities for cost savings and new income. Unlike single-technology solutions, microgrids can be technology-agnostic, blending solar, storage, combined heat and power, natural gas, hydrogen, and advanced dispatchable generation into a unified, optimized system.
At PowerStack Microgrids, we focus on making this complexity manageable. Our process begins with a clear understanding of each client’s operational priorities, from uptime requirements to sustainability targets. We employ proprietary system modeling to right-size every asset in the design, ensuring the system delivers value from day one and adapts as conditions change. Through The Gould Group, we eliminate many of the delays that plague other developers by managing our own energy supply chain and construction teams. This allows us to avoid critical-path equipment shortages, compress project schedules, and maintain direct control over execution quality.
For many organizations, the decision to act now is not just about resilience—it’s about positioning themselves ahead of a rapidly closing policy window. As solar incentives fade and the grid’s reliability challenges grow, microgrids built with fuel cells, linear generators, and other dispatchable DERs stand out as one of the few investments that can still secure strong federal support while delivering tangible, day-to-day operational benefits. The combination of near-term incentive certainty, long-term resilience, and multiple revenue opportunities makes the case clear:
The time for microgrids isn’t someday. The time is now.
