Power Factors supports major industrial expansion with one of the largest behind-the-meter BESS projects in the U.S.

A major industrial facility in the Southwestern U.S. is entering a new phase of growth, adding high-powered equipment as part of a major expansion. The upgrade will significantly increase production capacity but will also introduce a sharp rise in power consumption — the kind of rapid load swings that can disrupt operations internally and overload the surrounding grid. 

Under existing conditions, the local grid can support the facility’s energy needs. With the expansion, however, the new equipment draws large bursts of power, creating the risk of voltage fluctuations, internal disruptions, and strain on nearby grid infrastructure.  

To make the expansion feasible, the operator needed a way to stabilize the facility’s energy demand at the site level and avoid pushing the grid beyond its limits. 

That’s why the developer deployed a 50 MW / 200 MWh behind-the-meter (BTM) battery energy storage system (BESS) — one of the largest BTM installations in the United States and the largest in the region. With Power Factors providing the monitoring and control foundation, the BESS now plays a central role in how the facility manages its energy use, absorbing sudden load spikes, smoothing internal operations, and helping the site continue its expansion without triggering grid constraints. 

Why large industrial expansions need advanced BESS controls 

Integrating a BTM battery of this size into a heavy industrial environment brings a different level of operational complexity. High-demand equipment can create sudden, significant shifts in power use, and those internal loads must be balanced with grid interactions in real time. The BTM system also needs to communicate smoothly across multiple facility control layers and with regional utility partners. 

To operate reliably under these conditions, the BESS needed an integrated platform that could: 

• Respond instantly to internal load spikes 

• Coordinate control across all field devices 

• Provide clear, real-time visibility into load and battery performance 

• Maintain stable operation as production scales 

What SCADA, EMS, and PPC do for industrial BESS operations 

To meet these needs, the developer implemented Power Factors’ SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Energy Management System (EMS), and Power Plant Controller (PPC) solution designed for reliable, high-performance storage operations. 

With Unity SCADA, EMS, and PPC, the operator gains: 

• Real-time insight and control: SCADA connects all field devices and monitors energy flow, giving operators an instant view of load and battery behavior. 

• Reliable energy management: EMS translates BESS analytics into real-time, adaptive control strategies, continuously balancing availability, efficiency, and battery longevity. 

• Continuous operation: Redundant, storage-specific PPC capabilities provide fast, precise control to handle sudden load spikes. 

• Unified operational visibility: Data from SCADA and EMS is combined so operators can see the full picture at a glance. 

• Future-ready flexibility: The platform supports hybridization with onsite solar, ready to integrate additional clean generation as the facility grows. 

These capabilities stabilize the facility’s energy needs while reducing pressure on the surrounding grid. 

How Power Factors delivered this large-scale industrial BESS 

Successfully deploying a 50 MW / 200 MWh BESS required close collaboration with the project developer, onsite operations teams, and regional utility partners. 

Power Factors handled system deployment and configuration, managed commissioning across multiple offices and field locations, and oversaw production of the control hardware. The result is a fully integrated system built to handle the demands and fast-changing conditions of large industrial storage operations as the facility continues to grow.  

Measurable benefits of the on-site BESS for industrial operations 

With the system now operational, the facility benefits from: 

• Stable energy management for high-demand industrial processes 

• Reduced strain on nearby grid infrastructure 

• Improved operational reliability during a major facility expansion 

• Real-time visibility into battery performance and load behavior 

These outcomes allow the facility to increase production without compromising reliability or operational continuity. 

Preparing for future growth and renewable integration 

The next phase includes an on-site solar development. Power Factors’ SCADA and EMS architecture is already designed to integrate additional renewable generation, allowing a smooth transition to a hybrid BESS and solar site without major redesign. 

Power Factors’ SCADA, EMS, and PPC solutions are part of the Unity Renewable Energy Management Suite, built to help operators manage increasing complexity with clarity and control. 

At this industrial site, that means a resilient BESS supporting a high-growth operation, stable coordination across systems, and a control platform ready for whatever comes next.