DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth recently flipped the switch on the largest public battery storage system in Massachusetts.
The 520-kilowatt system – installed in a partnership with electricity services company Eversource Energy, renewable energy supplier FirstLight Power Resources, and software platform company AMS – will reduce the electrical load of the university during peak usage times, when energy rates are higher.
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The battery storage system is part of UMass Dartmouth’s “sustainability infrastructure” that includes a 1.6 megawatt-hour co-generation plant and a system of solar photovoltaic panels that provides an additional 369 kilowatts.
The battery system and the co-generation plant are projected to save the university about $500,000 in energy costs annually.
“This is a great tool for us to regularly deploy,” Jamie Jacquart, assistant director of campus sustainability at UMass Dartmouth, said of the battery system. “There are peak uses during each season, and this will allow us to help both the university and the overall electrical grid. It’s a win-win-win, especially if it … encourages businesses, municipalities and homeowners to do the same.”
Because the price of electricity is most expensive when used during peak times, specifically during the day, the battery system will release stored energy at these peak times to help reduce the university’s overall electricity costs.
