The Challenge

Energy Toolbase’s ETB Controller and Acumen AI™, paired with solar, were installed alongside Eguana Technologies’ storage system at a light manufacturing facility to help mitigate high utility charges, with a focus on reducing demand. At this site, there was limited historical data for the building’s energy use profile, making it difficult to estimate savings and train the EMS prior to deployment. The facility also had an electric vehicle (EV) charger on-site, creating unpredictable load patterns. This challenge was further compounded by the size of the ESS, which had a smaller capacity and power rating than most EVs on the road today. The location in Northern Alberta also posed challenges, as the system is exposed to extreme weather conditions.

The Solution

The Energy Toolbase team developed a solution to overcome these challenges. To supplement the lack of historical data, a virtual energy storage system was installed at the site, giving engineers the data needed to evaluate potential savings from the ESS by testing various sizes of virtual storage in real time. This also allowed the team to collect historical data to train the machine-learning models ahead of deploying the physical storage unit. To address the unpredictable nature of the EV charger and the size mismatch between batteries, the team refined how the system evaluated incoming data and adjusted the tolerances, improving both responsiveness and overall system performance.