Convergent to provide Massachusetts utility with battery storage system

Energy storage system provider Convergent Energy and Power is to provide Massachusetts’s municipally-owned utility company West Boylston Municipal Light Plant (WBMLP) with a 3MW/9MWh utility-scale battery storage system.

Convergent will finance, own, and operate the system for WBMLP. The system is expected to come online in 2024.

Utilities are increasingly pursuing battery storage systems to reduce transmission and capacity costs for their customers, which are predicted to increase for the foreseeable future. In ISO New England, where WBMLP is located, the main transmission cost applied to customers is predicted to increase by almost 25% between 2024 and 2028..

WBMLP sources 56% of its energy supply from clean and renewable sources, putting it ahead of state-mandated Greenhouse Gas Emissions goals. The project will be co-located next to West Boylston’s existing solar and flywheel assets.

Jon Fitch, West Boylston Municipal Light Plant general manager, said: “West Boylston Municipal Light Plant is dedicated to keeping electricity rates stable for our customers while exceeding our greenhouse gas emission reductions goals. We expect to reach an 80% clean and renewable energy supply by 2030, with one of the lowest electricity rates in the commonwealth. We are thrilled to add a battery storage system to our clean and renewable energy mix and continue delivering cost-effective, sustainable electricity to our customers in partnership with Convergent Energy and Power.”

Johannes Rittershausen, CEO, Convergent Energy and Power, said: “Battery storage not only insulates communities against rising energy costs, it increases the sustainability and reliability of the grid, which is more critical than ever before. We are proud to partner with West Boylston Municipal Light Plant, which is exceeding state-mandated sustainability targets and demonstrating an impressive commitment to delivering cost-effective and clean power to its customers.” Founded in 2011, Convergent is one of the original players in the energy storage sector and has more than $500M invested in projects in operation or allocated to projects under development across North America.