The Challenge
A facility had 300 kWp of solar, grid connection, and two 150 kW DG sets. The three power sources operated independently: solar was dispatched first (during daylight when available), then grid, then DG. No logic optimized the mix for minimum cost.
What Became Visible
Integrated monitoring of all three sources revealed several inefficiencies: Solar was being exported to the grid at minimal rates when DG was simultaneously running to serve peak demand. Peak demand charges were being incurred on grid consumption during solar peaks when excess solar could have served non-production loads. DG fuel costs were 3× the grid rate, yet DG was being used during times when solar+grid would have been cheaper.
What Changed
Integrated energy management dashboard showing real-time cost comparison of solar vs. grid vs. DG, with optimization logic to dispatch the cheapest source at each moment.
How it worked: Load dispatch was restructured: solar prioritized for internal consumption (not grid export), grid used for baseload when solar was insufficient, DG reserved for peak demand or grid outages. The system dynamically compared the cost of each source and dispatched accordingly. Annual fuel consumption dropped from 45,000 liters/year to 38,000 liters/year. Grid consumption shifted from afternoon peaks (expensive) to early morning (cheaper off-peak rates).
Results
annual diesel savings
from load shifting
from integrated management
Multiple power sources without integrated optimization means each is managed locally rather than globally. When visibility into cost per kWh for each source exists, the optimization logic becomes obvious: always dispatch the cheapest source. The savings from this simple optimization are often 15–30% of total energy costs.
Operational Reality
Most facilities with solar+grid+DG operate them independently. The facilities that integrate all three sources for cost optimization recover 5–10% of total energy expense.