Behind The Meter Versus Front Of Meter

Whether a co-sited burner serves a customer directly or connects as a grid generator changes its interconnection, services, and backup role.

Two connection models

Behind the meter generation sits on the customer's side and primarily serves that customer's load, drawing from the grid only when needed. Front of the meter generation connects as a grid resource that can serve any load and export, participating in wholesale markets and grid services. The same physical burner can be configured either way.

For a data center, a behind-the-meter burner (MetroVolt) supplies the campus directly, with the grid as backup, reducing interconnection scope. A front-of-meter unit exports and provides grid services but faces fuller interconnection and market obligations.

Backup and stand-by

A behind-the-meter unit still typically keeps a grid connection for backup and for the times its own units are in maintenance, which brings stand-by considerations. This grid tie is also part of how the availability gate is managed: the grid backstops the on-site fleet.

Honest framing

The choice is a project and regulatory decision that presumes a working unit. MetroVolt's configuration is not fixed at the design stage; both models are enabled by the power-electronics interface and near-demand siting.