Utility Non-Wires Alternative RFPs Coming to Massachusetts?…Enel X Expands Canadian Footprint

July 13, 2018
Massachusetts House paves way for non-wires alternative solicitations…Enel X installs intelligent battery system for Ontario food packaging company
Massachusetts House paves way for non-wires alternative solicitations

The Massachusetts House of Representatives yesterday approved a grid resiliency bill that could open the way for utilities to issue competitive solicitations for non-wires alternatives.

HB 4739 would require that utilities file annual resiliency reports to show areas of their distribution systems that would benefit from grid resiliency measures.

The reports would offer heat maps that indicate peak energy usage times, congested areas of the distribution grid and areas vulnerable to outages due to high demand, lack of local energy, or severe weather. Developers could use the heat maps to identify best locations to propose a non-wires alternative project.

Utilities would have the option of issuing non-wires alternative solicitations to third parties to fill any resiliency need, including alternatives to upgrading transmission or distribution.

In selecting bid winners, utilities would consider both monetary and non-monetary benefits of the non-wires alternatives. These might include improving resiliency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering peak demand, easing congestion in stressed areas of the grid, and serving low-income areas.

The bill also would set up an institute to promote energy storage and create a study of mobile energy storage.

Approved unanimously by the House July 12, the bill is now before Senate Ways and Means.

Enel X installs intelligent battery system for Canadian food packaging company

Enel X is bringing new sophistication to a Canadian food packaging company’s demand response capabilities with installation of a 2.34 MW/4.7MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system,

Amhil North America will use both batteries and Enel X DEN.OS software.

Demand response is not new to the Ontario company. It has been participating in the programs since 2010 through EnerNOC, an Enel X company.

In addition to participating in demand response, Enel X will use the system to reduce peak energy usage and therefore costs.

In all, Amhil expects to save 20 percent on  ts energy spending through the 11-year contract with Enel X. The project will be deployed in the second half of 2018.

The battery also provides the packaging company with backup power, improving its energy resilience.

The project expands the already large Ontario footprint of Enel X — through EnerNOC. The company has been working in the province since 2008 and is the largest commercial and industrial aggregator of demand response, with contracts for about 200 MW across about 400 customer sites. The Amhil project is Enel X’s second battery storage project in Canada; the other is a 1 MWh lithium-ion behind-the-meter battery system at Algoma Orchards in Ontario.

Track news about non-wires alternatives, energy storage and demand response. Subscribe to the free Microgrid Knowledge newsletter.

About the Author

Elisa Wood | Editor-in-Chief

Elisa Wood is an award-winning writer and editor who specializes in the energy industry. She is chief editor and co-founder of Microgrid Knowledge and serves as co-host of the publication’s popular conference series. She also co-founded RealEnergyWriters.com, where she continues to lead a team of energy writers who produce content for energy companies and advocacy organizations.

She has been writing about energy for more than two decades and is published widely. Her work can be found in prominent energy business journals as well as mainstream publications. She has been quoted by NPR, the Wall Street Journal and other notable media outlets.

“For an especially readable voice in the industry, the most consistent interpreter across these years has been the energy journalist Elisa Wood, whose Microgrid Knowledge (and conference) has aggregated more stories better than any other feed of its time,” wrote Malcolm McCullough, in the book, Downtime on the Microgrid, published by MIT Press in 2020.

Twitter: @ElisaWood

LinkedIn: Elisa Wood

Facebook:  Microgrids

Related Content

Brandon Olafsson / Shutterstock.com

Department of Energy Spending Up to $200M Connecting Remote Microgrids

March 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Energy is currently accepting proposals for transmission projects that would connect remote and isolated microgrids to each other or to existing transmission...
U.S. Army photo by Scott Darling, Fort Cavazos Public Affairs)

U.S. Army Improves Resilience at Fort Cavazos with New Microgrid

March 14, 2024
U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, will use the microgrid to power critical services and infrastructure during outages and to reduce energy costs during...

Reducing Costs and Uncertainty in Microgrid Deployment By Employing An Integrated Solution

March 15, 2024
This white paper - the second in a series - explores the Model Predictive Controller (MPC) approach to Microgrid and EV infrastructure operation.

Malaysian Semiconductor Maker Secures Critical Power with Rolls-Royce mtu Powerpacks On-Site

March 13, 2024
X-FAB Sarawak, the Malaysian division of worldwide foundry group X-FAB, will utilize the four mtu Kinetic Powerpacks at its site in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The company manufactures...

Only through Standardization Can Microgrids Accelerate the Energy Transition

Jan. 18, 2024
Jana Gerber, North America microgrid president at Schneider Electric discusses how standardizing microgrids will accelerate the energy transition.

Download the full report.
Download the full report.
Download the full report.
Download the full report.
Download the full report.

Decentralization: How Microgrids Contribute to the Energy Transition

Learn how decentralization could help tackle the energy challenges of the 21st century by creating an optimized way to access reliable, green and resilient energy.