The Generation Menu
There is no single behind-the-meter technology. There is a portfolio, and the winner is set by three variables: fuel access, required runtime, and how much carbon you are willing to own. On-site gas gives you dense, dispatchable power wherever a pipeline reaches, at the cost of emissions and a fuel bill. Fuel cells trade some of that emissions cost for capital and quiet reliability. Renewables plus storage give you clean electrons and no fuel risk, but only where sun, land, and battery duration line up. Pick by matching the machine to the load, not by fashion. The site decides, not the brochure.
Knowledge check
Which three variables most determine the right behind-the-meter generation technology for a given site?
Show the answer
Fuel access, required runtime or duty cycle, and the operator's tolerance for owning emissions. Gas wins on dense dispatchable power where a pipeline reaches; renewables-plus-storage win where clean power and no fuel exposure matter and land plus sun cooperate; fuel cells sit between on emissions and reliability.