For Immediate Release
Contact
BGE Communications
Media hotline: 410-470-7433
BALTIMORE (Jan. 23, 2023) — BGE customers in southern Anne Arundel County and parts of Calvert County will experience enhanced service reliability from additional capacity made available for the area's constrained electric distribution system by a new battery storage facility that became operational Jan. 20.
Located in Chesapeake Beach, the 1 MW/2 MWh battery charges at times of low demand and discharges energy back onto the grid when demand is highest—specifically during colder months. Shifting load in this manner reduces overall peak demand, which can in turn reduce strain on the electric grid and enhance system reliability.
This project is one of the significant Path to Clean investments BGE is making to lead Maryland to a cleaner, more resilient, and more sustainable energy future.
"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," said Mark Case, vice president of Regulatory Policy and Strategy at BGE. "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 Chesapeake Battery Energy Storage System and under-construction Fairhaven battery storage project were developed pursuant to the Maryland Energy Storage Pilot Project Act, signed into law in 2019 to explore ways to maximize storage value for customers, utilities, and the electric grid, and facilitate innovative commercial approaches for energy storage. Combined, the two projects will enhance service reliability for 9,000 customers and help BGE avoid expensive undergrounding upgrades to 10 miles of electric distribution equipment.
BGE's sister Exelon energy delivery companies Pepco and Delmarva Power are also building battery storage pilot projects in Maryland.
The state's pilot program is facilitating multiple battery storage facility ownership models. Increased competition through the development of a robust market of vendors ensures not only the most competitive prices for customers, but also ultimately a greater variety of offerings. Ameresco, Inc., a global, independent full-service provider of comprehensive energy services, will own and operate the Chesapeake battery storage facility. When not called upon for capacity by BGE, the facility and vendor Ameresco will participate in the PJM wholesale services markets.
###
About BGE BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and 700,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading energy utility company. Engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.