Plus Power begins operations at energy storage facility in Massachusetts
Plus Power has commenced operations at its Cranberry Point energy storage facility in Carver, Massachusetts, US.
The facility is claimed to be the largest utility-scale standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) on New England’s grid.
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Cranberry Point has a capacity of 150MW/300MWh.
It is said to be instrumental in helping Massachusetts achieve approximately one-third of its energy storage target, which is the deployment of 1,000MWh of battery energy storage by 2025.
Spanning around six acres, Cranberry Point is located adjacent to Eversource’s Carver 115kV substation, which is connected to a key north-south transmission line that helps move energy from new power resources to demand centres such as Boston.
Cranberry Point has 82 Tesla Megapack 2 XL battery enclosures.
It was developed in collaboration with Burns & McDonnell, who handled the engineering, procurement, and construction of the facility.
The facility operates by absorbing surplus energy during low-demand periods and storing it during peak demand, thereby aiding in grid stability.
This is particularly crucial as the local grid faces new pressures from AI and data centre expansions, economic growth, and the retirement of traditional power plants.
Plus Power co-founder and executive vice-chair Alex Fraenkel said: “Plus Power is proud to deliver this landmark facility for the Commonwealth and honoured to contribute to power reliability, energy affordability, and emissions reduction in the region.
“We look forward to being a model for ISO-NE [New England] on battery performance and an excellent neighbour for many years to come.”
Massachusetts launched a $10m energy storage initiative aimed at becoming a national leader in the sector in 2015.
The subsequent State of Charge report in 2016 highlighted the potential of BESS technology to reduce peak demand, lower electricity costs, and enhance grid flexibility.
Cranberry Point offers around 10% of the capacity of the retired Mystic combined cycle facility.
It can deliver fully dispatchable services akin to a conventional power plant, but with a rapid 250-millisecond response time and without emissions or water usage.
Furthermore, the facility is designed to support the Massachusetts Clean Peak Standard programme, which aims to reduce emissions during peak demand periods by utilising stored energy from times of higher renewable generation.
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