BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bay State Wind, the 50-50 partnership between Ørsted, the global leader in offshore wind, and Eversource, New England’s premier transmission builder, today announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent to work collaboratively with Massachusetts-based NEC Energy Solutions to develop an energy storage solution for its 800MW wind / 55 MW – 110 MWh energy storage combined project. The Bay State Wind project will represent the world’s largest wind-paired energy storage system for commercial-scale energy, which will be located in the South Coast region of Massachusetts.
This collaborative effort furthers Bay State Wind’s commitment to supporting and promoting energy storage in Massachusetts. Dedicated to growing Massachusetts as a leader in renewable energy, and working to strengthen the supply chain throughout the state, this collaboration will generate jobs in the quickly growing, high demand fields of renewable energy and energy storage.
"We could not be more thrilled to work with a Massachusetts company that is a global leader in battery storage technology and products," said Thomas Brostrøm, President of Ørsted North America. "NEC Energy Solutions is widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in the market for utility scale energy storage, and their ability to recruit talent from the local workforce will help not only Bay State Wind, but it will help solidify Massachusetts as a global leader in the green energy revolution."
NEC Energy Solutions’ expertise in developing flexible battery storage solutions will further Bay State Wind’s efforts to help the region in overcoming winter reliability challenges by delivering energy when it is needed most and help to reduce winter peak energy prices and price volatility. It is estimated that the annual winter price reduction would be approximately $158 million per year and will enhance grid stability by shifting energy delivery to meet demand profile.
“The development of a robust battery storage system is going to help Massachusetts become a leader in renewable energy, and more importantly it will help small businesses and consumers by ensuring a steady supply of energy, thereby reducing high-demand energy spikes,” said Eversource Vice President of Business Development Mike Auseré.
As part of the collaborative effort, Bay State Wind and NEC Energy Solutions will accelerate the development of early commercial integration of storage technologies into the electricity supply chain and capitalize on storage technology’s benefits to clean energy integration, grid reliability, system wide efficiency, and system peak demand reduction. These efforts will further establish the south coast of Massachusetts as a leading steward of environmental sustainability by becoming home to America’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm and the largest battery storage pairing system in the world.
“Bay State Wind brings industry leadership that is second to none,” said Steve Fludder, CEO of NEC Energy Solutions. "This development is crucial to growing our battery storage systems in Massachusetts, across America, and around the world. The Bay State Wind project is a unique opportunity and the benefits to the Commonwealth are immense. We are excited about what we can achieve together."
Bay State Wind is a proposed offshore wind project located 25 miles off the Massachusetts South Coast and 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will be America’s first large-scale, commercial wind farm. The project is expected to create more than 1,200 annual jobs during construction of the project and over 10,800 indirect and direct jobs over the life of the project. It will also bring cost efficiencies and innovation to the region.
About Bay State Wind
Bay State Wind is a proposed offshore wind project located 25 miles off the Massachusetts South Coast and 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The project is a joint venture between Ørsted – the global leader in offshore wind – and Eversource – New England’s premier transmission builder. Bay State Wind brings the experience of developing 23 projects around the world, on time and on budget, as well as deep expertise in building transmission within New England, and sophisticated knowledge of the region’s electrical grid. Bay State Wind’s proposed commercial-scale offshore wind project will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs over the lifetime of the project, drive economic growth, provide cost-competitive clean energy and bring a supply chain that establishes Massachusetts as the U.S. hub for a new American industry. For more information on Bay State Wind, visit baystatewind.com or follow us on Twitter @baystatewind.
About NEC Energy Solutions
NEC Energy Solutions designs, manufactures, and integrates smart energy storage solutions for the electric grid and applications with critical power needs. Its megawatt-scale energy storage and control systems provide greater stability to the grid while maximizing renewable generation. In telecom, datacenter, and other industrial applications, its high performance lithium-ion battery systems provide better value than traditional lead-acid batteries in tough, critical power applications. With its beginnings in Massachusetts as A123 Systems, NEC ES leads the grid energy storage world in dependable, reliable and safe solutions. On May 16, 2014, NEC Corporation acquired the grid energy solutions and commercial energy systems business of A123 Systems. Learn more at www.neces.com.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.
The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/vision/message.html.