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Convergent Energy and Power, a leading energy storage solutions provider in North America, has announced the start of construction on a utility-scale battery storage project for West Boylston Municipal Light Plant (WBMLP), a municipally-owned utility in Massachusetts. The system will have a capacity of 3 megawatts (MW) and 9 megawatt-hours (MWh) and is designed to help stabilize electricity costs for customers while providing protection against rising energy expenses. Convergent will fully finance, own, and operate the battery system. It will be managed using Convergent’s proprietary energy storage optimization software, PEAK IQ®, which is designed to strategically charge and discharge the system. The battery will store electricity when it is most affordable and environmentally friendly, and release it during periods of high demand, when energy is most expensive and carbon-intensive. Jon Fitch, General Manager, West Boylston Municipal Light Plant, said in a statement, “This battery storage system will allow West Boylston Municipal Light Plant to continue delivering reliable, sustainable, cost-effective electricity to our customers. 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.” Johannes Rittershausen, Chief Executive Officer, Convergent Energy and Power, stated, “U.S. electricity demand is expected to increase by 50% by 2050—and energy storage has never been more critical to our electric grid or our communities. Together with the West Boylston Municipal Light Plant, Convergent Energy and Power is proud to accelerate the clean energy transition in Massachusetts with a system that will bring the West Boylston community a cleaner, more cost-effective and reliable grid.” The project comes at a time when utilities are turning to battery storage solutions to help reduce transmission and capacity costs. In the ISO New England region, where WBMLP operates, transmission costs known as Regional Network Service (RNS) charges are expected to rise by 20% in 2025. Intelligent battery systems such as this one can play a key role in reducing those costs, while also improving the overall reliability of the electric grid and supporting the use of renewable energy. WBMLP already sources more than half (56%) of its energy from clean and renewable resources, positioning it ahead of Massachusetts’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The new battery system will be installed adjacent to the town’s existing solar power and flywheel storage facilities, helping to further integrate these resources. The battery storage system is expected to become operational in the third quarter of 2025. |
