The energy-as-a-service company Budderfly has partnered with Viridi to add battery energy storage systems at some of the commercial sites it manages. Budderfly provides energy-efficient equipment, measuring and billing technology, virtual power plants, smart technology monitoring, and more. Typically, battery energy storage systems are installed in smaller numbers, so it is both remarkable and intriguing to hear about such a large initiative. Jon M. Williams, Viridi CEO, and Tom Flynn, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel at Budderfly, answered some questions about the partnership for CleanTechnica. How many battery energy storage systems will be installed and where? The first phase of the partnership will deploy battery energy storage systems across approximately 100 Budderfly-managed commercial sites nationwide, beginning with early deployments in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California. This rollout is part of a broader effort to scale behind-the-meter energy infrastructure across a large, diversified portfolio of commercial buildings. Rather than treating each installation as a standalone project, we are building a coordinated network of distributed energy assets that can improve performance at the site level while contributing to greater flexibility across the system as a whole. What businesses or organizations will they support? The systems will support a range of commercial facilities served by Budderfly, including restaurants, retail locations, fitness centers, manufacturing facilities, and other commercial businesses. The goal is to help customers modernize energy infrastructure, improve efficiency, and strengthen resiliency without requiring upfront capital investment. What benefits will they provide? At the site level, these systems help reduce peak demand, improve energy cost predictability, and increase resilience during grid stress events. But the more important shift is how they perform as part of an integrated system. Because Budderfly manages energy across an entire portfolio, combining efficiency, onsite generation, storage, and intelligent controls, batteries become one of several flexible energy solutions that work together to continuously optimize performance. The value is not just in any single asset, but in how they operate as part of a coordinated energy platform. Over time, that approach also creates broader system benefits by enabling more flexible, responsive use of existing energy infrastructure. When will they be installed and is there an average battery size? Deployments are planned to ramp through late 2026 and 2027 as part of the initial scale-up phase of the program. System design is tailored to each site based on load profile, building type, and energy usage patterns, rather than a one-size-fits-all configuration. Most installations will be 30 kW / and 150 kWh, and some locations will receive 60 kW / 300 kWh units. Units for manufacturing facilities or large commercial buildings will likely be even larger. These outdoor units take up a rectangle that is almost 8 ft X 4 ft and typically will sit behind the building. What will the battery chemistry be for each? The systems use lithium-ion NMC chemistry, selected as part of a commercial platform designed for performance, safety, and compatibility with a wide range of behind-the-meter applications. Why such a large battery systems expansion now? We believe one of the biggest opportunities in energy today is on the demand side. For decades, the focus was on generating more power. Today, optimizing, storing, and managing energy is becoming just as important. Battery storage plays a critical role in that transition. It allows businesses to reduce costs, better manage peak demand, and make smarter use of the energy they consume. By combining energy efficiency, onsite generation, storage, and ongoing energy management into a single platform, we’re making those benefits more accessible to commercial customers. That’s why we’re expanding now; we see a significant opportunity to accelerate adoption of demand-side energy infrastructure across the commercial market.