Rate Switch Enabled by Solar + Storage Dramatically Reduces Demand Charges for Lodge in San Bernardino

PROJECT SUMMARY

THE CHALLENGE

EcoForce Solutions, a Santa Ana-based project developer, was eager to find a solution for a hospitality facility wishing to address the increasing expenses caused by skyrocketing electric rates. Located in San Bernardino, Budget Lodge, a budget motel near the University of California Riverside, faces exorbitantly high demand charges under SCE TOU-GS-2 Option D (at $34/kW summer on-peak and $22/kW noncoincident max). The customer was interested in switching to the Option E electric rate to reduce the facility's max annual peak demand, meaning they would need to acquire qualifying technologies like solar + storage to make the switch. EcoForce Solutions was prepared to find a solution by procuring tier-one ESS equipment and an energy management system to pair with the facility's existing 405 kW solar array.

THE SOLUTION

Energy Toolbase's Acumen EMS™ software was installed alongside a BYD CHESS unit in addition to the facility's 405 kW solar array. The primary control applications are demand charge management and time-of-use arbitrage. With Energy Toolbase, EcoForce Solutions swiftly secured a BYD Chess 120 kW 2-hour unit fully integrated with Energy Toolbase's Acumen EMS™ controls software, ready to start scheduling dispatch commands. By pairing storage with solar, the customer was able to reduce demand charges and qualify for the TOU-GS-2 Option E rate tariff. The rate switch was enabled by Acumen's industry-leading machine learning algorithms that utilize historical interval data to forecast load and shave peaks. 

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