Emerging Technologies Redefine Backup Power Systems

BESS, microgrids and AI offer owners greater flexibility and reliability in their efforts to protect facilities operations.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Commercial building emergency power is evolving rapidly, driven by sustainability goals, regulatory pressure and the need for greater reliability in institutional and commercial facilities. Modern systems are incorporating traditional diesel generators and adopting cleaner, smarter and hybrid solutions, including battery energy storage systems (BESS), microgrids, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered management. These changes create a fluid landscape for building owners and facility executives facing a range of challenges from skyrocketing vacancy rates to curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.

Why it matters

As climate change results in more frequent, powerful and costly natural disasters, interest is growing in more robust backup power systems to ensure facilities can successfully prepare for, respond to and return to operation quickly after an emergency. The precarious condition of the nation's electrical grid is also complicating the emergency power issue for owners, prompting a need for greater reliability and resilience.

The details

Emerging technologies like BESS, microgrids, and AI-powered management are being integrated into traditional diesel and natural gas generators to provide more flexible and reliable backup power. BESS can be standalone or part of a microgrid system, which incorporates other distributed energy resources like solar and wind. AI is being used for predictive maintenance, load estimating, and optimizing microgrid systems. Owners must work closely with utilities and clearly communicate their operational needs to design effective backup power systems, while also navigating changing political landscapes and incentives.

  • In 2017, the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport power outage heightened one owner's awareness of the operational impacts of downtime.
  • In recent years, there has been an expansion of backup power projects exploring options beyond just code-required items, as well as an increase in projects with sustainability goals.

The players

Mark Woods

Electrical technical manager with Henderson Engineers, a building systems design firm.

Stephen Estep

Owner and senior electrical engineer with Smith Seckman Reid, a design, consulting and planning firm.

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What they’re saying

“There are increasing pressures put on building owners and facility managers and design managers related to budget, schedule and sustainability.”

— Mark Woods, Electrical technical manager (facilitiesnet.com)

“Backup power in general tends to be market-segment driven. Projects like a data center or a hospital where there are critical ongoing operations that require backup power, that's a little bit higher on the priority list versus a commercial building, multifamily or something like that where there's still oftentimes code-required backup power needs.”

— Stephen Estep, Owner and senior electrical engineer (facilitiesnet.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.