Green Mountain Power changing the home energy storage game
December 4, 2015 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Green Mountain Power (GMP) is the first utility in the country to offer home batteries to its customers.
Partnering with Tesla, GMP will offer customers the option to purchase outright or lease with no upfront cost the Tesla Powerwall battery -- empowering customers to become more energy independent while also allowing the utility to reduce peak demand on the system, providing cost savings to all customers. GMP is the first utility in the country to partner with Tesla to offer the Powerwall. GMP will partner with customers to utilize the batteries during peak energy times to directly lower costs for customers by reducing transmission and capacity costs. "This is a game-changer that will help fully leverage solar to the benefit of all with cost savings, while empowering Vermonters to generate, store and use energy closer to the home," said GMP President and CEO Mary Powell. "As Vermont's energy company of the future, GMP is partnering with customers on an energy transformation that moves away from the 100-year-old grid system, to a new one that is more reliable, sustainable and cost-effective." The Tesla home battery can be paired with small-scale solar such as rooftop panels to store locally generated energy or used without solar as a battery to store power from the grid. During a storm or emergency, the battery is able to power essential parts of the home like lights, refrigerators, and furnaces. In its recent filing, GMP outlined to the Vermont Public Service Board its plan to offer three options to customers who want the Powerwall. Customers who share access of the battery will pay about $37.50 a month with no upfront cost -- or $1.25 a day. Customers can also choose to purchase the Powerwall for about $6500, share access with GMP, and get a monthly bill credit of $31.76, which represents the value of leveraging the battery to help lower peak energy costs. Or customers can buy the Powerwall outright from GMP with no shared access for about $6500. "This is community energy at the most local level, helping to increase resiliency for customers while we lower costs through innovations like battery storage," said Powell. "This ties into our eHome and eBiz program, as we work with Vermonters to accelerate the adoption of energy transformations in homes and businesses that are cost effective, use dramatically less energy and can operate more independently of the grid." GMP expects to receive its first shipment in January, with a total of 500 arriving over the next few months. GMP will partner with 10 customers initially to pilot the technology, primarily in Rutland, the Energy City of the Future, and then make the Powerwall available statewide to all GMP customers. For more: © 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.smartgridnews.com/story/green-mountain-power-changing-home-energy-storage-game/2015-12-04 |