Energy Toolbase, a leading provider of energy storage software solutions, has commissioned a behind-the-meter energy storage project with HES Solar, a San Diego-based, full-service solar development and installation company. HES Solar installed a BYD Chess energy storage system, integrated with Energy Toolbase’s Acumen EMS™ controls software, alongside a SunPower solar photovoltaic system for a Fortune 100 food and beverage industry client.
The 435-kW solar system, paired with a 240 kW / 532 kWh energy storage system, was sited at a newly built, 125,000-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility in Lakeside, California. The Acumen EMS-operated energy storage system was designed to reduce the host customer’s utility bill through a combination of both demand charge management and time-of-use energy arbitrage. HES Solar has forecasted that the combined project will capture over 6 million dollars of electric bill savings over 25 years of operation. “HES Solar has been a longtime, loyal user of Energy Toolbase’s modeling software,” said Ross Williams, CEO at HES Solar. “Our priority is to provide a safe and optimal storage system for our clients. We are excited to utilize both their Acumen EMS™ controls and ETB Monitor products as well.”
Energy Toolbase provides a cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring products that enable solar and storage developers to deploy projects more efficiently. HES Solar and the host customer will have full visibility into the solar and storage operation via the ETB Monitor platform, which provides a secure, web-based portal for the customer to view real-time system performance, bill savings, as well as create alerts, schedule dispatch commands, and override events.
BYD and Energy Toolbase
In 2021, Energy Toolbase was the largest BYD Chess system reseller in North America. Energy Toolbase has fully integrated its controls software to work seamlessly with BYD energy storage hardware, enabling developers to efficiently install and commission their combined solution. Energy Toolbase has now commissioned or contracted its Acumen EMS on over 60 sites, totaling over 30 MWh of storage capacity, throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Energy Toolbase rebranded its energy storage controls product to Acumen EMS™ in October of 2020, following its merger with Pason Power.
“I consider advanced control capabilities to be the core competence of a competitive energy storage software company,” said Michael Liu, the Senior Director of Energy Storage at BYD. “Energy Toolbase and HES Solar have been great partners to work with, and we are optimistic about deploying many more energy storage systems together in the future.”