Acumen EMS™ Deployed at San Diego Elementary School to Minimize Demand Charges and Deliver Savings
- Lindsey Paulk
- Energy Management, Energy Storage, time-of-use demand charge management
Project Summary
Location
San Diego, California
ESS Provider
Delta
Combined System size
55kW/110kWh
Deployment Date
April 2024
Facility type
Elementary School
EMS Application
Time-of-Use Demand Charge Management
The Challenge
Cal Solar Inc., a solar energy contractor based in California, was searching for a solution for an elementary school in San Diego that would enhance energy efficiency and reduce electricity bills. Despite having a Delta 55kW/110kWh energy storage system (ESS) and a robust 248.40 kW solar PV array, the school faced significant challenges in managing energy consumption and costs. They struggled with high peak demand charges and inefficient energy–use patterns, frequently dispatching energy from the battery at inopportune times resulting in missed opportunities for savings. The school needed an energy management controls software that would effectively optimize their ESS to reduce their demand during hours when electricity prices were greatest.
The Solution
To tackle these challenges, Cal Solar Inc. partnered with Energy Toolbase to integrate the ESS with Acumen EMS™ controls software, aiming to maximize energy savings through time-of-use (TOU) demand charge management. This management strategy utilizes peak shaving by dispatching the ESS when the school’s metered demand reaches a calculated threshold based on the site’s load and the demand charge prices for each TOU period. Because the school’s rate schedule had on-peak demand charges of $48 in summer and $28 in winter, this strategy greatly improved savings. Also, Energy Toolbase’s asset monitoring software, ETB Monitor, provided real-time performance insights to ensure efficient operation of the ESS and to facilitate necessary adjustments to optimize system performance.
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