Convergent Energy and Power on May 1 said it has broken ground on a 3MW/9MWh utility-scale battery storage system for Massachusetts’s municipally-owned utility company West Boylston Municipal Light Plant (WBMLP).
The system is expected to stabilize costs for the utility's customers and further insulate against rising energy costs. Convergent will finance, own, and operate the WBMLP system, leveraging its proprietary energy storage intelligence, PEAK IQ®.
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, Convergent said.
In ISO New England, where WBMLP is located, the main transmission cost applied to customers (RNS) is predicted to increase by 20% in 2025.
"Systems like Convergent’s can optimize renewable energy performance, reduces costs, and increase reliability if deployed and managed intelligently. Convergent will charge and discharge its battery storage system for WBMLP at strategic times, storing energy when it is cheapest and cleanest and discharging energy to displace the most expensive and carbon-intensive periods," the company said.
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.
“This battery storage system will allow West Boylston Municipal Light Plant to continue delivering reliable, sustainable, cost-effective electricity to our customers,” said General Manager, Jon Fitch, West Boylston Municipal Light Plant. “We’re thrilled to work with Convergent Energy and Power to keep electricity rates manageable for our customers while also working ahead of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions goals.”
The system is projected to come online in the third quarter of 2025.
