Eclipse VOLTTRON Platform Enables Successful Integration of Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage Systems on University CampusOn the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation at the University of Toledo, researchers are employing the open source Eclipse VOLTTRON platform to demonstrate an innovative approach to integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels. building automation systems and a battery energy storage system (BESS). The demonstration project, a cooperative effort of the University’s Facilities and Engineering departments, illustrates that universities do not need expensive, single-vendor centralized “command and control” systems to maximize the impact of PV implementations.

In August, Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) announced that VOLTTRON, an innovative open source energy data platform, will migrate to the not-for-profit Eclipse Foundation.

The announcement constitutes an important new chapter in the development of VOLTTRON, the development of which was initiated by PNNL in 2012 and has benefited from an estimated $10 million of investment over the last six years.

Since 2017, hundreds of American cities, universities and businesses have signed the We’re Still In pledge, declaring their organizations’ commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Signatory organizations are pursuing an array of strategies to reduce carbon emissions and advance energy efficiency initiatives. Many signatories are targeting their efforts at buildings and transportation, as these sectors consume more energy and are responsible for more carbon pollution than other sectors.