Vermont’s statehouse uses Green Mountain Power program for battery storage

Vermont’s statehouse is the first in the nation to have clean backup power stored in batteries, employing a Green Mountain Power (GMP) program to help lower cost for Vermont residents.

The batteries are part of GMP’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for Business program, which provides financial incentives to businesses that install batteries and share some of that backup energy. GMP uses that stored power during energy peaks when power is costliest and dirtiest. This reduces costs for all GMP customers. The statehouse battery project is expected to save state taxpayers $44,000 and GMP customers an additional $18,000 over ten years. The batteries are projected to reduce carbon emissions by 6,388 pounds per year.

“With ‘out of the box’ thinking, common sense, and collaboration, we can address tough issues like climate change and do our part to reduce carbon emissions without hurting the economy. I know many think clean energy must be more expensive, but the work done today shows not only can we reduce carbon emissions, but if we are strategic, we can also save money in the process,” Gov. Phil Scott said.

The Samsung Mega E2 batteries were installed in the basement of the statehouse. The 250 kWh of battery power, which came online this fall, backs up more critical systems for the historic building, including the elevator. Northern Reliability procured and built the battery system for the state.

“It’s incredibly impressive that leadership in our State Government is forward-thinking enough to replace their fossil fuel redundancy with an Energy Storage System. Its ability to fulfill their backup needs and be used by GMP for peak avoidance is just one of many ways that Governor Scott and our state leaders are doing their part not only to reduce our carbon footprint but also to work with our utilities to reduce the cost of power. Northern Reliability is proud to have been a part of such a great project,” Jay Bellows, CEO of Northern Reliability, said.

Dynapower supplied the inverter for the project, while Virtual Peaker software is being used to connect the battery to GMP for energy sharing.

“At GMP, we are about working together to deliver solutions, and this project is a great example of what can be done. It will save all Vermonters, including GMP customers, money while adding to GMP’s stored energy network. That network reduced more than $3 million in costs for customers last year. We can do this with more Vermont businesses to help them save,” Mari McClure, GMP’s president and CEO, said.