Potomac Edison completes battery storage, EV charging project in Maryland
Potomac Edison completed a $1.4 million battery energy storage project that also includes two new electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations and one Level 2 charging station in Frederick County, Maryland.
The bundling of the storage system with fast chargers will allow Potomac Edison to study how energy storage can help minimize the impact of demand spikes from fast-charging stations.
The system is located at the Myersville Park and Ride near the Interstate 70 and Route 17 interchange. The system includes a 500-kilowatt battery that provides uninterruptable electric vehicle charging and reduces the load drawn from the grid by powering the charging stations during peak demand times. In the event of an outage, the charging stations will also be energized by the battery-supplied energy. The battery system is expected to be able to provide approximately eight hours of uninterrupted EV charging.
In addition, the two fast-charging stations, which are direct-current fast chargers (DCFC), can provide an 80 percent charge for most electric vehicles in less than an hour. The Level 2 charging station at the site can accommodate two vehicles for simultaneous charging and delivers eight to 24 miles of range per hour of charging.
“This exciting new energy storage project will provide us with valuable insights as we prepare to maintain and enhance system reliability in the future as electric vehicle adoption increases,” Linda Moss, president of FirstEnergy’s Maryland operations, said.
Potomac Edison is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy. The company serves about 275,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and 151,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
The Myersville project is the first of two battery energy storage projects proposed by Potomac Edison as part of the state’s Energy Storage Pilot Program. The program required all investor-owned electric utilities to submit at least two energy storage proposals to the Maryland Public Service Commission for consideration. The second project, a 1.75-megawatt battery energy storage project planned for Allegany County, will provide backup power to more than 1,000 customers during outages, serving an area west of the town of Hancock. That project is expected to be in service in early 2024.
