The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Smart Energy Storage Integration and Management Platform for Buildings (SESIMP-B) as one of its newest research projects aimed at improving building energy performance. The project, led by Gridscape Solutions, brings together Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Columbia University’s Building Energy Research Laboratory (BERL) to develop a plug-and-play smart service panel that can coordinate battery storage with building loads and on-site renewable energy.
For BERL, the project provides an opportunity to apply its expertise in building physics, controls, and optimization to a system designed to lower installation costs, improve demand flexibility, and support building resilience. BERL’s work focuses on how the smart panel’s enhanced sensing and control capabilities can unlock HVAC flexibility during normal operation, demand response events, and power outages. This builds on the lab’s broader mission of exploring intelligent control strategies that allow buildings to adapt dynamically to energy and comfort needs.
DOE’s NEPA determination confirms that the SESIMP-B effort qualifies for a categorical exclusion, allowing design, testing, and field deployment to move forward at existing facilities without additional environmental review. Early development will take place at Gridscape’s laboratory in Fremont, California, with field sites to be identified as the project advances. The team will evaluate real-world performance and conduct techno-economic assessments to understand installation time savings, reduced payback periods, and improvements in battery lifespan. 
By participating in this multi-institution collaboration, BERL is contributing research that helps bridge hardware innovation with intelligent control methods. As buildings continue to electrify and integrate more storage, practical and scalable solutions like SESIMP-B will play an important role in supporting a reliable and low-carbon energy system.
