Adding a battery to a load displacement project can dramatically increase its size, value, and customer appeal. With Sponge’s predictive optimization, batteries unlock new layers of savings, protect against rising costs, and improve project payback timelines.
Why Pair a Battery with Load Displacement?
Batteries transform a standard solar project into a diversified energy management system. With Sponge’s Energy Management Controller (EMC), your system can pursue multiple objectives at once, including:
- Load Shifting (Commercial/Residential)
- Demand charge reduction (Commercial)
- Time-of-Use (ToU) rate arbitrage (Residential)
- Outage protection (Commercial/Residential)
Instead of relying solely on solar production in real time, batteries capture surplus energy that would otherwise be curtailed in zero-export scenarios. Sponge ensures this energy is used strategically, maximizing self-consumption and reducing grid dependence. The result: more clean energy delivered, lower utility costs, and faster payback periods.
Projects with Sponge optimization typically achieve:
- Up to 40% reduction in grid expenditure on load displacement projects
- Payback acceleration by 3–4 years
- Economics comparable to Net-Meter projects
Right-Sizing PV and Battery for Maximum Value
Sizing solar and storage correctly is critical to project success, but it can be difficult! Key factors impacting optimal sizing include:
- Load profile shape
- Daily Usage Patterns – The shape of the daily load influences the balance of solar & battery sizing. For example, a factory which runs a single day shift may benefit little from a battery since consumption matches solar availability. Facilities with more consistent energy usage, or energy usage which can rise in the evening – or unexpectedly – are better suited to batteries.
- Peak Index and Peak Frequency – Peak Index is the measure of how large demand peaks are relative to your base load. Peak frequency refers to how often these peaks occur as well as the degree of randomness or predictability associated with these peaks. These conditions directly inform battery sizing.
- PV area constraints – Designing for maximum annual output given available space.
- Utility rate structures – The economics of solar and battery resources will always depend on the rate environment where they are installed.
Use Sponge to Right-Size your Battery Project
Sponge can help you design Load Displacement + Battery projects that maximize returns for your client. Our simulation engine continuously iterates PV & Battery size combinations alongside economic storage strategies to build a solution that maximizes your client’s ROI and Payback Period.
Want to evaluate how a battery could fit into your next project?
What is Sponge?
Sponge Microgrids provides predictive control solutions and simulation services for solar and storage projects. At the core is the Sponge Energy Management Controller (EMC) — the “brain” of your microgrid.
The EMC continuously Monitors | Forecasts | Optimizes, using weather data, utility rates, and consumption history to make real-time decisions. By forecasting site demand, generation cost, and outage risk, Sponge ensures your solar + storage project always delivers maximum return and reliability.
How Sponge Improves Project Economics
Unlike static controls, Sponge dynamically balances competing priorities. Its forecast-based algorithms adapt minute by minute, delivering savings while preserving backup power when needed.
Examples of Sponge in Action:
- Load Displacement + Demand Charge Reduction (Commercial)
- Up to 40% reduction in grid expenditure
- Payback improved by up to 4 years
- Load Displacement + ToU Rate Arbitrage (Residential)
- Up to 30% bill savings
- Payback reduced by up to 3.5 years
- Example: charging at 2.8¢/kWh off-peak, discharging at 28.4¢/kWh on-peak
- Load Displacement + Backup Power
- Up to 2X better outage protection
- Prioritizes essential loads with dynamic load shedding
- Uses Outage Risk Prediction to ensure batteries are charged when severe weather or grid instability is likely
The Bottom Line
With Sponge, installers can confidently design solar + storage projects that beat the competition on value, payback, and resilience. Whether it’s reducing grid costs, increasing clean energy use, or ensuring lights stay on during an outage, Sponge makes every project smarter and more profitable.
If you are looking to sell a battery+load displacement project, adding a Sponge controller could be the secret weapon you need to get your proposal across the finish line.
Or reach out to us at Info@sponge.to with questions!
