Storage developer NineDot Energy agrees Starbucks energy credit deal

New York-based battery storage developer NineDot Energy has signed an energy credit subscription agreement with Starbucks.

NineDot energy storage sites operate under the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) Value Stack programme. Under the scheme, battery sites receive credits for responding to the electric utility’s calls to export power during high-stress periods. NineDot virtually allocates VDER credits often as discounts to remote subscribers’ utility bills. The VDER program was established by the New York Public Service Commission to encourage development of clean energy sites that benefit local electric networks.

NineDot’s initial battery storage site, located in the Pelham Gardens neighbourhood of the Northeast Bronx, is a fully approved, community-scale battery storage system in New York City, designed to provide power and resilience to the local power grid at times of peak demand. This site is operational and generating energy credits this year. In addition, NineDot has approximately 30 projects under construction across the city, with many more in the evaluation and design phase.

New York City battery storage sites are helping to support the New York Governor’s roadmap for 6,000 MW of energy storage capacity in New York State by 2030, with a view to creating a net zero carbon state by 2040. NineDot is on track to achieve its goal of developing 400MW of battery storage capacity by the end of 2026.

David Arfin, NineDot Energy CEO and co-founder, said: “We are thrilled to have Starbucks as an anchor subscriber. “We know that fighting climate change requires collaboration between energy providers like NineDot and energy consumers like Starbucks, who have been focused, vocal and active in pursuing their sustainability goals. NineDot has a strong pipeline of battery energy storage projects that can support Starbucks throughout the New York City area.”

Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer, said: “As part of our promise to give more than we take from the planet, Starbucks is proud to be a subscriber with NineDot Energy to help move New York’s clean energy transition forward. We’re excited to be a leading community battery storage subscriber in New York City in support of community-scale battery storage, which benefits some of the people most impacted by climate change by accelerating the retirement of fossil fuel power stations that run during peak energy demand,”

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