Plus Power has commenced operations of its Cranberry Point Energy Storage facility in Carver, Massachusetts. The standalone utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) project has a capacity of 150 MW/300 MWh. It is spread across 6 acres and is connected to Eversource’s Carver 115 kV substation. The Carver substation is an important link to a major north-south transmission line carrying power to many demand centers like Boston.
Additionally, the project features 82 Tesla Megapack 2 XL enclosures. Engineering, procurement, and construction of the project were carried out with Burns & McDonnell. Furthermore, the project is set to participate in the Massachusetts Clean Peak Standard programme. It will store electricity during periods of high renewable generation and discharge it during daily and seasonal demand peaks.
Moreover, it was among the first BESS projects to receive a Capacity Supply Obligation (CSO) from the Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE) in February 2021 and contributes nearly one-third of the state’s target to deploy 1,000 MWh of battery storage by 2025.
REGlobal’s Views: Like other US states, Massachusetts is witnessing a massive influx of battery storage projects owing to increasing power demand from data centers as well as retirement of older plants. BESS, which can be deployed quickly, is an ideal solution to meet this demand. Further, BESS also helps in providing grid stability especially with rising renewable energy penetration in the grid.