UMass Boston Taps Enel X for Solar Plus Storage Project

(Photo: The UMass Boston campus. Credit: University of Massachusetts Boston)

by | Sep 25, 2019

This article is included in these additional categories:

UMass Boston Taps Enel X for Solar Plus Storage Project

(Photo: The UMass Boston campus. Credit: University of Massachusetts Boston)

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston signed an agreement with energy services business Enel X to install solar, lithium-ion storage, and electric vehicle charging stations on campus.

This project calls for a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility integrated with a 0.5-MW/2.0-MWh lithium-ion energy storage system, and 11 of Enel X’s JuiceBox electric vehicle smart charging stations. It’s all expected to be operational by the first half of next year, according to Enel X, which will purchase, install, and operate the system on the university’s behalf.

Solar photovoltaics company EnterSolar is designing and developing the 1-MW rooftop solar facility in partnership with Enel X. The system should generate around 1.2 gigawatt hours annually.

Integrating the solar with a lithium-ion energy storage system means UMass will be able to generate and store renewable energy that can be used when electricity costs are highest, reducing the university’s energy costs by more than $1.5 million over the length of the contract, Enel X said.

In addition, the project’s enrollment in the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program’s Feed-in-Tariff and participation in ISO New England’s demand response program should provide shared economic benefits for UMass Boston and Enel X.

Launched in 2018 by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and electric utilities in the state, the SMART program incentivizes solar power and creates opportunities for C&I energy users to integrate solar plus storage systems, Enel X explained. The energy storage business added that ISO New England’s program pays large energy consumers to reduce their electricity consumption in response to grid system needs.

“This innovative collaboration with Enel X will enable us to take the campus to the next level by generating and storing energy in a fashion that minimizes our costs and maximizes the value of the solar energy we generate on the rooftop,” said UMass Boston Interim Chancellor Katherine Newman.

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This