Second CLG Meeting of 2023 featured discussion on battery energy storage; video available

The second Consumer Liaison Group (CLG) meeting of 2023 featured a discussion on the current status of battery energy storage on the ISO New England bulk electric system, and perspectives on the future and potential technological advancements of long-duration energy storage in the region.

A video recording and summary of the June 8 meeting, held in Peabody, Massachusetts, are available online.

The meeting began with a community welcome provided by Peabody residents involved in Breathe Clean North Shore: Susan Smoller, Steven Andrada, and Jerry Halberstadt. Smoller, Andrada and Halberstadt provided information about the history of Peabody, local energy generation facilities, and environmental justice concerns.

A panel discussion on battery storage followed, featuring Rosemary Wessel, founder, No Fracked Gas in Mass; Chris Sherman, vice president of development, Cogentrix; Colette Lamontagne, director, clean energy development, National Grid; Jason Houck, policy and regulatory affairs lead, Form Energy; and Priya Gandbhir, senior attorney, Conservation Law Foundation.

Anne George, vice president, chief external affairs and communications officer at ISO New England, shared the ISO’s annual Capacity Energy Loads and Transmission (CELT) Report. Released on May 1, the CELT is a comprehensive 10-year forecast for the power system that serves as a primary source used in ISO system planning and reliability studies. George also provided an overview of early results from the Operational Impact of Extreme Weather Events energy adequacy study. The study is a collaboration between the ISO and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to examine how New England’s electric power system would fare under stressful weather and operational conditions.

The meeting concluded with a new feature introduced by the Consumer Liaison Group Coordinating Committee (CLGCC), where committee member Nathan Phillips led attendees in a community roundtable activity.

The CLG is a forum for sharing information between the ISO and electricity consumers in New England. The next meeting will be held in September in Vermont.