The Intelligence Layer
A battery is only as useful
as its controller.
The Sponge Energy Management Controller (EMC) is the brain behind your solar system. Every 10 minutes, the EMC leverages consumption, weather, and utility data to forecast load, generation cost, and outage risk at your site. Our control algorithms determine and execute the optimal dispatch strategy — minimizing cost and maximizing protection, continuously and automatically.
Sponge EMC
40%
More savings vs. unoptimized battery
2×
Better outage protection
Optimization loop — runs every 10 minutes
📊
Forecast
Load, solar & rates
→
🧠
Decide
Compute setpoints
→
⚡
Execute
Dispatch via RS485
→
🔄
Repeat
Continuous, automatic
⚡
Peak Demand Shaving
Forecasts demand charge windows and discharges before the peak hits — flattening your load curve before the utility sees it.
💰
Time-of-Use Arbitrage
Charges during low-rate periods, dispatches during peak pricing windows. Captures the full rate spread automatically, every day.
🛡️
Outage Protection
Continuously forecasts outage risk and maintains strategic battery reserves to power critical loads up to 2× longer.
🛢️
Generator Reduction
Forecasts solar availability and dispatches battery to bridge generation gaps — reducing diesel runtime by up to 30%.
📡
Demand Response
Integrates with IESO, VPP, and LDC programs. Dispatches on grid signals to capture demand response revenue your customer didn't know was available.
☀️
Solar Self-Consumption
Predictive charging absorbs excess solar before it reaches the grid — by anticipating generation and pre-positioning the battery, not hard-limiting output.
Software
Battery Optimization License
Priced per kWh — based on total battery capacity under management. Annual and Battery Lifetime licences available. Free for systems under 80 kWh.
Contact us for pricing →
Commissioning
Battery Commissioning Fee
One-time fee based on battery capacity. Free under 80 kWh. Remote commissioning standard; onsite available for complex deployments.
Contact us for pricing →
Zero-Export
Zero-Export Control Activation Fee
One-time fee, all system sizes. Unlocks Zero-Export Control on your EMC. $935 CAD. Customer-commissioned.
Included with EMC purchase →
Compatible Inverter & Hardware Brands
Sol-ArkGrowattSchneider ElectricOutBack PowerSRNELuxPowerECUMidNite SolarSMASungrowCanadian SolarShellyEnphaseSolisSolarEdge + New integrations on request
Entry Point
EMC Base
7" touchscreen, two RS485 ports, ten years of local storage.
RS485 Ports2
Sponge CPU✓
Touchscreen✓
Passive Cooling✓
1× Ethernet✓
Wi-Fi✓
Expansion Terminal✓
Local Data Storage10 Years
Zero-Export Control✓
OTA Updates✓
Optimization Int.2 Minutes
NEMA Enclosure—
UPS—
Network Switch—
Cellular Connect—
Industrial
EMC Pro+
NEMA enclosure, UPS, and network switch for demanding environments.
RS485 Ports6
Sponge CPU✓
Touchscreen✓
Passive Cooling✓
1× Ethernet✓
Wi-Fi✓
Expansion Terminal✓
Local Data Storage10 Years
Zero-Export Control✓
OTA Updates✓
Optimization Int.2 Minutes
NEMA Enclosure✓
UPS✓
Network Switch✓
Cellular ConnectOn Request
Included with every EMC — no subscription required
📊 Monitor Base Dashboard
Real-time web app for remote monitoring and control. View power flow, state of charge, system status, and configure optimization bias from any browser. No extra hardware needed.
⛔ Zero-Export Control
Prevents excess solar from feeding back to the grid. Reads export power via RS485 and adjusts PV setpoint in real time. Customer-commissioned; revenue-grade meter + CT required at point of interconnection. Activation fee applies.
📡 OTA Updates
Continuous over-the-air firmware and algorithm updates. Your EMC improves over time without site visits or manual intervention. Optimization interval: 2 minutes.
UTILITY GRID Point of interconnection Revenue-grade meter + CT Zero-Export SPONGE EMC Edge compute · dispatch · monitor CLOUD + APP Weather · Telemetry VPP · Demand Response PV ARRAY Solar generation INVERTER Solis · CSI · Sungrow + more SMART DEVICES Shelly · load control BATTERY BANK Storage asset MANAGED LOADS Controlled circuits
Power flow
Data & control signal (RS485)
Remote & cloud
RS485
Two-wire serial standard (Modbus RTU). Used by the EMC to read inverter data and send dispatch setpoints. Reliable over long cable runs in electrically noisy environments.
Ethernet / Wi-Fi
Used for cloud telemetry, weather data, and remote access. Ethernet preferred for stability; Wi-Fi available as fallback. Dispatch runs edge-side — no internet required for optimization.
Zero-Export Control
Revenue-grade meter + CT at point of interconnection. EMC reads real-time export power and adjusts PV production setpoint via RS485 to prevent grid backfeed. Customer-commissioned. One-time activation fee: $935 CAD.
Demand Response
Sponge integrates with IESO, VPP, and LDC programs. On grid dispatch signals, the EMC responds automatically — dispatching battery to reduce grid draw and capture demand response revenue.