Convergent Energy and Power has begun construction on a 3MW/9MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for the West Boylston Municipal Light Plant (WBMLP), a municipally-owned utility in Massachusetts. The New York-based company, which will finance, own, and operate the system, aims to stabilize energy costs and protect WBMLP customers from rising electricity prices.

The system, which uses a lithium-ion battery manufactured in the U.S. by Elm Microgrid, will be equipped with the Elm FieldSight Microgrid Controller. This advanced controller is designed to assist the utility in managing automated grid balancing, frequency response, and time-of-use (TOU) shifting. The system also comes with integrated fire safety features, including an automatic shutdown function that disables the storage inverter and opens the battery contactors to prevent potential risks.

According to Kate Siskel, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Convergent, the system is built to trigger an alarm if necessary and stop operation if any issues arise, ensuring its safe and reliable performance. Additionally, Convergent’s proprietary energy storage intelligence platform, PEAK IQ, which incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning, will optimize energy storage and dispatch at strategic times.

WBMLP, in its efforts to reduce transmission and capacity costs, will benefit from storing energy during low-cost and low-carbon periods and discharging it during more expensive, carbon-intensive times. Johannes Rittershausen, CEO of Convergent Energy and Power, highlighted the critical role of energy storage, stating, “U.S. electricity demand is expected to increase by 50% by 2050—and energy storage has never been more critical to our electric grid—and our communities.”

With a clean energy supply of 56%, WBMLP is already ahead of Massachusetts' greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Its solar resources include a 1.5 MW installation on a former landfill and a 1 MW rooftop solar project, in addition to a 3 MW solar system from a private source. Jonathan Fitch, General Manager of WBMLP, emphasized the importance of energy storage to reduce coincidental demand during transmission peaks, which creates significant savings.

The battery storage system will be co-located with WBMLP’s existing solar and flywheel assets and is projected to be online by Q3 2025.

Convergent Energy and Power, founded in 2011, has grown into a major player in the energy storage sector. The company recently secured $150 million in financing with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and has over $1 billion invested in energy storage and solar projects across North America. It now has more than 800 MW/1 GWh of energy storage and solar-plus-storage systems under development or in operation, serving the power needs of approximately 750,000 homes.

Originally reported by Anne Fischer in PV Magazine.