BGE finishes battery energy storage project in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland

A battery energy storage project meant to improve grid reliability in southern Anne Arundel County and parts of Calvert County, Maryland, was completed last week, allowing BGE additional energy to meet increased demand during colder months.

The Chesapeake Beach, Maryland facility exists in a constrained electric distribution system area and has a 1 MW and 2 MW hour battery charging capability. It will charge when demand is low and discharge energy back onto the grid during periods of high demand, allowing for reduced overall peak demand through load shifting. This will allow BGE greater system reliability and the ability to reduce overall grid strain.

Energy service provider Ameresco, Inc. will own and operate the facility.

“Our strategic investments in battery storage are a key part of transforming the grid to further ensure safe, reliable, clean, and affordable energy service for our customers,” Mark Case, vice president of Regulatory Policy and Strategy at BGE, said. “The Chesapeake project immediately benefits its surrounding communities and over the next decade will support Maryland’s ambitious clean energy goals, aligning with BGE’s commitment to leading the state in this important decarbonization work.”

The new storage system was pursued in line with the Maryland Energy Storage Pilot Project Act, signed into law in 2019, to maximize storage value for customers, utilities, and the overall grid, while using innovative commercial approaches for energy storage. That legislation has spurred numerous battery storage facility ownership models and pushed increased competition in the area.

As for BGE, a second battery storage project is under construction at Fairhaven and, combined with the Chesapeake project, will benefit reliability for approximately 9,000 customers. According to the company, these efforts have also helped avoid expensive undergrounding upgrades for 10 miles of electric distribution equipment.