Photo Credit: Jeff Scher for NextEra Energy Resources From left to right: Representative Richard Haggerty; Emmanuel Agouridis, Distribution Engineer, RMLD; Heath Barefoot, Project Director, Development, NextEra Energy Resources; Ross Groffman, Vice President, NextEra Energy Resources; Charles Underhill, Integrated Resources Director, RMLD; House Minority Leader Bradley Jones; Jason Small, RMLD Citizens’ Advisory Board; Wendy Markiewicz, Director of Business, Finance, and Technology, RMLD; David Hennessy, RMLD Board of Commissioners; Hamid Jaffari, Director of Engineering and Operations, RMLD; Tom Ollila, Integrated Resource Engineer, RMLD; David Talbot, Chair, RMLD Board of Commissioners; Coleen O’Brien, General Manager, RMLD; Senator Jason Lewis; Stephen Pike, CEO, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center; Thomas O’Rourke, RMLD Board of Commissioners; Commissioner Judith Judson, Massachusetts DOER; Philip B. Pacino, RMLD Board of Commissioners
Reading, MA-– On Wednesday, July 10, 2019, representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), local delegates of the Massachusetts House and Senate, local officials, and representatives from NextEra Energy Resources joined Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) Commission members and staff for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion and electrification of the 5-megawatt Minuteman Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located at RMLD’s North Reading substation. The unit was installed with the support of a $1 million grant from the Baker-Polito Administration’s Energy Storage Initiative (ESI) Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage (ACES) program, funded by the DOER and administered by the MassCEC. The unit will support RMLD’s “shredding the peak,” and will integrate into RMLD’s power supply portfolio a mix focused on providing reliable and cleaner energy resources.
Peaks occur when the highest level of electricity is consumed in our region both monthly and annually. Reducing RMLD’s usage during peaks helps to offset current and future transmission and capacity costs, a direct benefit to RMLD customers. Peaks can also impact the environment; in some cases, less efficient and higher carbon-emitting New England generators are called into action to meet the high demand for electricity. Energy storage units such as the BESS can help to reduce the need for these types of peaking generators.
The BESS will be charged during off-peak hours and discharged during peak events to reduce RMLD’s peak load. The BESS is co-located with RMLD’s 2.5-megawatt Distributed Generator, which is also used for peak reduction.
The BESS is the largest stand-alone energy storage unit in Massachusetts and the largest of the 26 projects selected to receive the Commonwealth’s ACES funding.
Speakers at the ceremony included: Coleen O’Brien, General Manager, Reading Municipal Light Department; Commissioner Judith Judson, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources; Stephen Pike, Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center; House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, 20th Middlesex; Senator Jason M. Lewis, 5th Middlesex; Kathryn Manupelli, Chair, North Reading Select Board; Ross Groffman, Vice President, NextEra Energy Resources; and David Talbot, Chair, Reading Municipal Light Department Board of Commissioners.
Following the ceremony, Representative David Robertson presented RMLD with an official certificate of congratulations from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
RMLD would like to thank the Baker-Polito Administration, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the DOER for offering the innovative ACES grant program which helped fund this project; House Minority Leader Bradley Jones, Senator Jason Lewis, and Senator Bruce Tarr for supporting RMLD’s grant application; the North Reading Select Board and Town of North Reading staff for their support and partnership during the construction of the system; the MassCEC for administering the ACES grant program; and NextEra Energy Resources for designing, constructing, and operating the system as an energy service provider for the RMLD.
