BOSTON – A new energy storage project on Martha’s Vineyard is being proposed by Eversource.
The company says the project would “dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions” they say are created by the island’s five diesel-fired generators.
Eversource said the state-of-the-art battery storage system will improve electric service reliability and meet the island’s growing demand for electricity.
“At Eversource we want to be a clean-energy catalyst for our customers, and that means thinking differently and with more of a clean energy focus about how we solve what have been traditional issues that come with serving customers electricity,” said Charlotte Ancel, the Director of Clean Energy Development at Eversource.
The project will utilize a lithium-ion, a 14.7-megawatt battery system that will supply peak load in the event of an emergency – such as an outage or the failure of an undersea cable, for example. The battery storage system is also expected to offset high-demand usage during summer months.
“Electric use on Martha’s Vineyard is growing and the use on those underground lines becomes strained, and the island actually kicks on five diesel-fired ‘peakers’ to provide backup electricity when there’s a peak load on the Vineyard. Our storage projects will enable us to dramatically reduce our reliance on those diesel-fired ‘peakers.’ It would be the equivalent of taking about 5,000 cars off the road over its life,” said Acel.
Eversource said the system would be housed in a 6,000-square-foot building on existing company-owned property in Oak Bluffs. The location is one of two battery storage facilities approved in Eastern Massachusetts by the Department of Public Utilities.
A second proposed site is in Provincetown.
Both projects align with the state’s passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2008 that established a greenhouse gas reduction goal of 80 percent by 2050.
Currently, the island is served by four underwater cables from Falmouth. In the event of a cable failure or other contingency, the diesel generators currently in use provide electrical service.
Eversource said the proposed battery storage will provide significantly less reliance on those generators and reduces the need to repair or replace the undersea cables.
“This battery storage system will help Martha’s Vineyard meet its energy goals and reduce its carbon footprint,” said Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner.
“By storing energy when it’s needed most, we will be able to use it at any time. Our customers are looking for environmentally-friendly solutions and through this important project, we’re working together for a better tomorrow.”
The battery storage projects will are among the largest utility projects in the country with an estimated cost of $15 million dollars. If undertaken, it’s expected to be completed by 2020.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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