How automation software can futureproof your energy investments
Picture this: Last month, your facility made the leap to invest in onsite rooftop solar paired with a battery energy storage system. As facility manager, over the last several months you’ve seen costs drop, you have more control over your energy usage, and you have gained peace of mind knowing you have reliable backup power. But when you receive this month’s utility bill, you’re surprised to find that your energy costs spiked again - plus, your backup power mysteriously didn't kick in when grid power was cut one day, adding unexpected operational costs and safety risks for your staff.
What happened?
You later find that your solar system has not been producing energy and your battery was at 0% charge when the power went out. Without advanced software, you’ve been unable to monitor your system’s performance, optimize it to reduce costs, be alerted of any issues, and ensure you are prepared for power outages.
Throughout decades of development and market growth, solar technologies have drastically improved in efficiency and quality, and battery energy storage technologies have finally caught up. However, without software that connects and controls all your energy systems, you’re missing out on critical visibility and automation that could help you maximize asset performance and savings - not to mention ensure that your systems are actually operating without any issues. In this article, we break down the various ways you can benefit from energy automation software to manage your solar, storage, and other energy systems.
Maximize savings with utility bill optimization
While you can achieve significant utility savings with onsite solar, your control is limited to either consuming your energy as it’s produced or exporting it to the grid. By pairing solar with a battery, you can store your solar energy to be consumed when utility prices are the highest or when the sun goes down. To do so requires energy management that understands how you pay for energy or how your rate tariff is structured. Here are three ways to leverage your energy management software to optimize utility savings:
Maximize solar self-consumption: At times your solar system will produce more energy than your facility needs at that moment. The excess energy is usually exported to the grid, and depending on your location, your utility may actually pay you for it in a process known as “net metering.” However, net metering is not available to everyone, and some metering rates are so low that you are better off consuming the energy yourself. With energy automation software, your energy resources will be optimized at all times, ensuring maximum savings.
Load shifting / Energy arbitrage: Many U.S. facilities are signed up for utility time-of-use (TOU) rate plans, where the cost of your energy varies based on the time of day, day of the week, and season. Your energy automation software can minimize your energy costs by ensuring that you consume from the grid when prices are low, and consume your stored solar energy when energy costs the most.
Peak shaving / Demand charge management: In addition to a fee for the amount of energy you consume, your utility bill also includes a demand charge, which is based on a set $/kilowatt rate for your highest energy demand during the billing period. This is usually measured as your peak demand in a 15 minute period of time within your 30 day billing cycle. Your demand charge alone can comprise up to 70% of your total utility bill! With energy automation software, you can manage what systems are allowed to run simultaneously, as well as shift certain loads to run during lower demand periods. This “shaves” your energy peaks, reducing the costly demand charge portion of your energy bill. When load management is coordinated with battery management, you can have the highest confidence that you will reduce expensive demand charge costs.
Ensure reliable back-up power
Solar and storage systems are often used as a source of backup power when the power goes out and energy automation plays a central role in ensuring a seamless transition from grid power to backup power. However, not all systems are designed to manage 100% of a facility's energy needs, so energy management becomes a critical component for stable off-grid power. Software capabilities vary in this realm, but some of the top features include:
Switching off nonessential loads to prevent the battery system from tripping - to protect itself, if too much power is asked of the battery, it will turn itself off.
Ensure your battery is sufficiently charged before grid power goes out, so you are always prepared for the worst.
Power only essential devices and equipment necessary for normal and safe business operation.
Forecast how long your battery will last based on your current run rate, empowering you to make informed operational decisions while extending battery life.
It’s important to select a software platform designed to manage your energy system on-grid and off-grid. Surprisingly, most platforms only serve on-grid operation well, as peak shaving is where the money is at. If backup power and resiliency is important to your facility, ensure you select a team with experience and knowledge in backup power system design and energy automation.
How energy automation futureproofs your investments
The energy industry is undergoing rapid transformation as it evolves from a centralized power distribution system to a highly decentralized one. As homes and businesses adopt renewables and onsite power generation solutions, these systems need to communicate and coordinate with the grid. In other words, your system needs to be able to participate in the new energy economy and adapt to the ever changing rules of the road.
The good news is that with the right energy automation software, your system will always deliver the highest savings possible while balancing your backup power needs. And when called upon, can support your local grid to ensure it remains stable and your community remains safe.
Holistic system management
In this article, we discussed how software can help you get the most out of your solar and storage systems, but we encourage you to also consider incorporating your other systems, such as onsite combined heat and power (CHP), electric vehicle charging stations, and more.
Here at Promise Energy, we adhere to a holistic systems approach, which takes into account a facility’s complete system instead of just its individual parts. Software acts as the digital glue that orchestrates all your resources and energy needs, ensuring you get the outcome you expect, from savings or resiliency to a reduced carbon footprint.
Contact us to get started.
At Promise Energy, we don’t believe that one size fits all. We pride ourselves in designing and installing customized energy solutions that provide the greatest long-term value and energy control for our customers.
