Energy services company Budderfly has unveiled a plan to modernize power infrastructure in roughly 100 small and mid-size American municipalities, with project costs recovered entirely from the energy savings generated \u2014 rather than from upfront municipal spending. The initiative, called Modernizing American Cities, was introduced at the annual conference of the International City\/County Management Association.<\/p>\n
Budderfly is working with Schneider Electric, which will oversee digital integration and power management across sites. The two companies are claiming $500 million in project capital, though the financing structure has not been detailed publicly. Their combined target is a 150 MW virtual power plant assembled from distributed solar arrays, battery storage systems, smart ventilation and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure installed on city buildings and water treatment facilities.<\/p>\n
The arrangement follows an energy-as-a-service model: Budderfly finances, owns and operates all equipment, while each city pays nothing upfront. The contractor recoups its investment from measured energy savings over a 15-year contract, after which the assets transfer to municipal ownership. Per-city investment is estimated at $4\u20135 million, with projected energy-cost reductions of 60\u201380 percent.<\/p>\n
A contract in Cadillac, Michigan serves as the program’s pilot template. Budderfly is committing roughly $4.4 million across seven municipal buildings there, establishing autonomous microgrids for city hall and the local water treatment plant, with community energy savings projected at 65 percent.<\/p>\n