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Battery Energy Storage

First-in-the-nation project of its size and scope will provide significant system reliability upgrades for several Outer Cape communities.

The Outer Cape Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Provincetown, Massachusetts, is a key part of an ongoing effort to modernize our electric system and improve system reliability for our customers.

The groundbreaking system has been successfully tested, achieving an important milestone in our clean energy future. The battery is now able to serve Provincetown and, when called upon, can begin providing backup electricity to the 5,700 customers in town during power outages.

This is the first single battery in the nation to power a micro-grid of this size.

How Does Battery Storage Work?

The battery, which is housed at the Provincetown transfer station, will always be on and connected to the grid fully charged, ready to automatically provide backup power within moments of an outage to the approximately 10,200 customers currently served by a single 13-mile distribution line.

The BESS is an innovative solution to a complex issue that avoids the need for a second distribution line along the same route as the existing line, which would have required significant construction through the Cape Cod National Seashore and could have posed environmental concerns.

The battery also helps to stabilize voltage along the current distribution line, which improves the flow of electricity to homes and businesses along the Outer Cape. Once fully completed later this year, additional system upgrades will help reduce the frequency and duration of power outages for those customers.

Our 2022 Sustainability Report

See highlights from other sustainability areas or download the full PDF report for detailed data, graphs and more.

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