The Challenge

Scale Microgrids, an advanced energy solutions provider for commercial and industrial facilities, needed an intelligent energy management system to optimize an ESS as part of their microgrid solution for a large food distribution center in La Puente, California, that serves over 8,000 restaurants nationwide. The microgrid included a 750 kW / 3,011 kWh Motive Energy ESS, and Scale Microgrid wanted an intelligent controls system capable of integrating with the installed hardware and further optimizing the battery for rate bill savings and demand response programs.  

The Solution

Scale Microgrids turned to Energy Toolbase to provide an EMS for the distribution center’s microgrid. Energy Toolbase created a custom solution that seamlessly integrated ETB Controller with the battery hardware and microgrid controller. ETB Controller functions as an optimization layer that augments the battery to provide bill savings through various strategies that are constantly optimized by Acumen AI™.  

Energy Toolbase also registers the end customer for any eligible demand response programs and provides ongoing support to ensure compliance and compensation. As part of this agreement, Energy Toolbase enrolled the battery into California’s Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program, which offers incentives for load reduction and backup generation, and will continue to enroll the customer into eligible and valuable demand response programs. Insight into the system’s performance, bill savings, and demand response participation is visible in ETB Monitor, which offers real-time monitoring capabilities. This custom integration with Scale Microgrids is repeatable for future deployments and offers end customers a fully managed microgrid solution.