Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Commercial, Finance  -  September 25, 2019

UMass plans solar facility, energy storage program

The University of Massachusetts Boston signed an agreement with Enel X to install a 1 MW solar facility along with other energy projects on its campus, expected to be operational by the first half of 2020.

Under the agreement, Enel X will purchase install and operate the solar system and expects it to generate more than 1,200 MWh annually. The project was designed and developed in partnership with EnterSolar.

The project will also include the integration with a 05.MW/2.0 MWh lithium-ion energy storage system and 11 Enel X JuiceBox electric vehicle smart charging stations. UMass expects that the integration with the energy storage system will allow the university to generate and store renewable energy to be used when electricity costs are highest, reducing the campus’s grid dependence and energy spending by more than $1.5 million over the life of the contract.

Enel X’s Distributed Energy Resources Optimization software will maximize the earnings potential across multiple options, such as demand and energy management programs. The battery storage project will be allowed to participate in the ISO-New England’s demand response program, which pays large energy consumers to reduce their electricity consumption in response to grid system needs, as well as providing incremental payments if and when they are dispatched.

Additionally, the JuiceBox charging stations will utilize its smart, cloud software to monitor and adapt to changes in local energy markets, allowing for charging to be adjusted based on renewable energy availability or energy costs at any given time.

“UMass Boston is home to a student body, faculty, and staff committed to sustainable energy,” UMass Boston Interim Chancellor Katherine Newman said in a statement. “This innovative collaboration with Enel X will enable us to take the campus to the next level by generating and storing energy in a fashion that minimizes our costs and maximizes the value of the solar energy we generate on the rooftop.  We look forward to working with Enel X to pioneer this technology and lead the way for other organizations that will benefit from the savings and efficiency it produces.”

UMass Boston and Enel X plan to jointly enroll in the MA SMART Feed-in-Tariff, local utility peak energy efficiency programs. The project was partially funded by two Massachusetts programs: the Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage program through the Department of Energy Resources and the Solar Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.

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