PulseConnex and Solar Energy

During the beta testing phase of PulseConnex, we included a couple of Colorado churches in the testing for two reasons: first, certain churches are ideal for demand control, and second, these churches were planning to install large solar PV arrays.

One church in Arvada, CO took a cautious approach and wanted to more information about the church’s energy use before spending the money on a solar PV installation. In order to have a more complete picture of the effectiveness of a solar PV installation, this church installed PulseConnex several months ahead of their solar PV array. Now that their solar energy system is operational, they can use their historical load profile data to compare the church’s pre-solar energy consumption to the current consumption, ensuring that they have made a wise investment.

Another church in Westminster, CO knew they had a great location for collecting solar energy, a desire to be more eco-friendly and energy efficient, in addition to facing very high demand charges. This church installed a solar PV array, an Energy Sentry demand controller, and PulseConnex to monitor the effectiveness of these measures. While PulseConnex cannot track the amount of energy generated by the church’s solar power system, the dual channel capability of PulseConnex allows them to compare energy sourced from their utility, Xcel Energy, to overall energy consumption. On clear, sunny days, church administrators can see the church’s overall energy consumption rising, while energy consumed from the utility remains low or non-existent, letting them know the solar PV system is working as expected, generating most, if not all of the energy needed for the church.