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Power to the people

Municipal Light Plant cuts ribbon on energy storage project

By Daniel Monahan, dmonahan@sentinelandenterprise.com

6/2/19

ASHBURNHAM -- The road toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy isn't paved by solar farms and wind turbines alone, and often includes storing energy inside massive batteries.

The Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant on Wednesday unveiled its new three-megawatt, five-megawatt-hour battery storage project during a ribbon cutting ceremony with local and state officials.

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Judith Judson, the commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, cuts the ribbon to the town's new lithium ion battery project. (Daniel Monahan / Sentinel & Enterprise)

The lithium ion battery, from Massachusetts-based company NEC Energy Solutions, is adjacent to the municipal utilities substation on Turnpike Road and first went online in January.

"This is just a great day for the people of Ashburnham and the Light Plant," said Municipal Light Plant General Manager Kevin Sullivan. "There aren't many of these installations around the state, but this unit will help us reduce our 'peak' energy loads each month."

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Vice Chair of the Municipal Light Department Mark Carlisle discusses the value of the battery project with state Sen. Anne Gobi. (Daniel Monahan / Sentinel & Enterprise)

Sullivan said the battery will store power and energy will be released in a timely fashion when the light department experiences heavy electrical usage, also known as its peak hours.

The battery, said Sullivan, will help the light department reduce costs for energy transmission and capacity, which could ultimately benefit customers.

"Its an impressive effort here in town and its going to provide a variety of benefits to the the ratepayers," said Senior Director of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Galen Nelson.

Sullivan said there would also be room to add more storage at the site in the future.

The whole project has a cost of about $3.5 million, said Sullivan. A quarter of the cost of the battery was covered by the Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage grant, which is supplied by a partnership between the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the state Department of Energy Resources.

The grant program is a competitive grant initiative aimed at piloting energy storage projects and advancing the technology across the state.

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Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant unveiled its new battery storage project during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. (Daniel Monahan / Sentinel & Enterprise)

The remainder of the cost was funded through the pooled loan program operated by the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company.

"The addition of the storage system will allow the Municipal Light Plant to continue the service and cost that our customers expect as we more into a rapidly evolving grid system," said Mark Carlisle, vice chair of the Ashburnham Municipal Light Board.

The battery storage project could also have an impact outside of the town itself.

"This is helping to reduce cost for ratepayers, but it is also helping to grow the state clean energy economy," said Nelson. "We're excited for the example that it sets to cities and towns across the commonwealth and other municipal light plants."

"Energy storage technologies have the potential to be a game changer for Massachusetts," said Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson. "Investments in innovative energy storage projects like this one at the Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant are a testament to the Baker-Polito administration's commitment to embracing clean energy solutions across the commonwealth."

Judson said that without energy storage towns would need to build a lot of infrastructure to operate during peak usage. In 2015, a study looking at energy usage in the state found that 40 percent of what's spent on electricity each month comes from the top 10 percent of usage hours on the grid, said Judson.

Opportunities for energy storage can help reverse that equation, she said.

"Ashburnham has truly been a leader in this area," Judson said. "The vision that you've had for how you can deliver electricity to your residents and businesses in the most efficient way possible, and embracing the technology, has really been wonderful and it will have tremendous benefits."

State Sen. Anne Gobi said the battery project was a great example for the rest of the state.

"People are talking all the time that they want to see Massachusetts move to a green economy to make that we're doing what we can for carbon emissions," said Gobi. "Now I can point to things like this."

According to Steve Fludder, the CEO of NEC Energy Solutions, energy storage technology is starting to "disrupt" some of the gas-based peak energy systems across the country. "This is a big deal for energy storage," he said.