As part of its continued investment in scaling the emerging technologies needed to tackle the most urgent climate challenges and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has selected Eversource to receive up to $19.5 million in federal cost share to build upon the success of its award-winning 24.9 MW Outer Cape Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Advanced in partnership with Cape Light Compact (CLC) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Eversource's Outer Cape Microgrid Optimization Project will coordinate and optimize diverse, customer-owned clean energy resources like solar panels, smart thermostats, and batteries with its Outer Cape BESS in Provincetown to extend the length of time the BESS can provide customers with reliable power while crews work to make repairs.
In addition to enhancing electric reliability for the Cape Cod region, which is especially vulnerable to power outages caused by New England's increasingly frequent and extreme weather, this innovative solution will employ advanced analytical tools to demonstrate the effectiveness of using distributed clean energy resources coordinated through a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS). Importantly, the project will also expand access to clean energy technologies and deliver direct reliability and resiliency benefits to 48,000 Cape Cod residents in vulnerable environmental justice communities.
"We're grateful to the Department of Energy for this exciting opportunity to take our battery energy storage system to the next level to help protect electric reliability for our customers on the Cape, including vulnerable environmental justice communities who continue to be disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change," said Eversource Vice President for Grid Modernization Jen Schilling. "This critical federal cost share will enable a creative approach to demonstrate how coordinating customer-owned, distributed clean energy resources can be cost-effectively leveraged in other storm-prone regions to equitably deliver the benefits of our transition to the power grid of the future to all our customers and communities."
In addition to improving reliability and resiliency, the Outer Cape Microgrid Optimization Project will deliver significant workforce development benefits targeted to environmental justice communities and to the 3,200 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe members. Together with Cape Cod Community College, Eversource plans to develop a clean energy jobs pipeline program with stakeholders as part of the project to provide well-paying career opportunities for tribal members and residents of environmental justice communities to drive greater diversity in the clean energy industry. As part of Eversource's continued commitment to equity the plan includes collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders to design a Community Advisory Council that will provide inputs on the signing of a community benefit agreement, as well as recommendations on the implementation of the program. As the project continues, Eversource is committed to closely collaborating with the Community Advisory Council, which will include the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and all its stakeholders to ensure an inclusive and participatory process that hears and addresses the unique needs of the community.
"Eversource has expressed a sincere commitment to fostering Tribal collaboration and support for our clean energy development initiatives, including for a process that will lead to a comprehensive workforce development plan tailored to the needs and aspirations of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe aimed at creating sustainable, well-paying jobs in the clean energy sector," said Tribal Council Chairman Brian Weeden. "As we work together to advance this unique project, we look forward to Eversource approaching this collaboration with a deep sense of respect for the Wampanoag Tribe's historical challenges and expect an improved spirit of procedural equity, distributional equity, and structural equity."
The Outer Cape Microgrid Optimization project will expand upon Eversource's comprehensive commitment to equity and environmental justice and its investment in more resilient, flexible infrastructure to combat the impacts of climate change, enable electrification, increase renewable energy production, meet the future energy needs of customers, as well as support the commonwealth's ambitious decarbonization and energy equity goals.
The recent decision by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to approve Eversource's Electric Sector Modernization Plan (ESMP) was foundational for the DOE's consideration of the OCMO project to receive federal cost share. Over the next 10 years, Eversource's ESMP will significantly increase electrification hosting capacity to accommodate 2.5 million electric vehicles, one million residential heat pumps, and an additional 2.2 GW of new solar power, which are essential for achieving the commonwealth's electrification and decarbonization goals. The plan also focuses on enhancing grid resiliency in environmental justice communities by prioritizing these areas for proactive grid upgrades to mitigate potential future climate impacts. Working collaboratively with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and other stakeholders, Eversource will continue to increase the use of local clean energy resources as virtual power plant alternatives to address grid needs, defer system upgrades when possible, and help lower costs for customers.
Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is among the top energy companies in Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies for 2024 and recognized as a Five-Year Champion, appearing in every edition of the list. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 1.8 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.42 million electric customers in 157 communities, 656,000 gas customers in 122 communities, and 11,500 water customers in five communities. Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 9,900 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.
