Orange and Rockland Utilities completes battery storage system in Warwick

Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) and energy storage company Convergent Energy and Power completed work on a 12MW / 57 MWh battery storage system in Warwick, N.Y.

The system is the first non-wires alternative project in Orange County, N.Y. The system, built by Convergent, will deliver sustainable electricity to 7,500 O&R customers in the Town of Warwick, as well as parts of the villages of Florida and Greenwood Lake and the hamlet of Pine Island.

“This project represents a positive, innovative achievement in O&R’s continuous efforts to provide more sustainable, local power while minimizing its costs to our customers,” Orange & Rockland President and CEO Robert Sanchez said. “The battery project opens the door to a more sustainable energy future for our customers.”

The 12MW solution is composed of three separate 4MW battery storage systems. Two of the systems are located on property owned by the Warwick Valley Central School District, while the third system is situated in the Village of Warwick.

“Convergent is powering the clean energy transition through AI-powered energy storage, which is critical to a more sustainable, cost-effective, and reliable electric grid. O&R’s decision to add battery storage demonstrates their commitment to their customers, their preparedness and strategic planning, and their willingness to embrace contemporary solutions to meet increasing demands on our energy infrastructure,” Convergent Chief Operating and Financial Officer Frank Genova said.

The project will connect to the O&R system through O&R’s overhead distribution lines. The project will allow the utility to delay building new infrastructure designed to accommodate energy use at its peak—an event that occurs only a few times during the year.

Energy storage allows utilities to increase capacity on the electric grid by charging the batteries when electricity demand is low and discharging them back onto the grid when high demand is higher. The battery system supports New York State’s initiative to install 3,000 MW of energy storage by 2030.

O&R – a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison — provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State and northern New Jersey; and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.