The Challenge

SitelogIQ, a Minneapolis-based energy services and facility improvement company, needed a solution for its customer, a higher-education facility in Southern California, that had invested in a 2.2 MW solar PV array paired with a Tesla Megapack 2 XL, totaling 770 kW/3,080 kWh in storage capacity. While the solar performed as expected, the storage system lacked advanced controls, which left the multimillion-dollar battery investment idle and underutilized. Without a functioning energy management system (EMS), the facility was unable to capture value from time-of-use (TOU) arbitrage, demand charge management, or participation in demand response programs. To restore the system’s value, SitelogIQ turned to Energy Toolbase to deliver a retrofit solution that could swiftly transform the stranded asset into a high-performing, revenue-generating system.

Retrofitting advanced controls at this scale would come with its challenges. Energy Toolbase engineers had to validate electrical wiring runs, metering configurations, and networking parameters such as IP addresses and subnet masks, many of which were undocumented or conflicted with original project drawings. The project was further complicated by Southern California Edison’s (SCE) ongoing utility testing, which required the new EMS to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure while meeting strict compliance standards.

The Solution

Energy Toolbase and SitelogIQ partnered to retrofit the site with ETB Controller powered by Acumen AI™, along with ETB Monitor to deliver real-time transparency. Using dynamic economic dispatch, Acumen AI autonomously determines the most cost-effective dispatch strategy at any given time, performing TOU arbitrage, shaving demand peaks, and enabling participation in CAISO demand response programs through Leap as the aggregator. The project also introduced Energy Toolbase’s first implementation of SMA’s Inverter-Direct API. Through this integration, ETB Controller reads solar generation and inverter data directly from the SMA inverters, with ETB Monitor collecting and displaying that data on the site’s Diagnostics page within the platform. To maximize project economics, Energy Toolbase modeled multiple rate scenarios in ETB Developer and recommended a tariff switch from SCE’s TOU-8D-S Option D to the more storage-friendly TOU-8E. This transition aligned dispatch strategies with the utility’s most favorable pricing windows, positioning the project to capture both substantial bill savings and incremental revenue from grid services.

Rather than replacing equipment, ETB engineers designed a retrofit package that leveraged the customer’s existing Tesla Megapack investment. Targeted software updates and configuration adjustments were implemented to accommodate the site’s unique electrical layout and networking requirements, many of which had been undocumented or inconsistent with the original project drawings. This approach restored the value of the stranded asset, avoided costly system overhauls, and ensured long-term adaptability for future utility programs and value-stacking opportunities. With ETB Monitor providing ongoing visibility into system performance, dispatch compliance, and savings, the facility now benefits from the cost reductions and grid services revenue it was originally promised. The project demonstrates how Energy Toolbase’s expertise can transform even challenging retrofit scenarios into optimized, revenue-generating energy storage systems.