Convergent Energy and Power’s Energy Storage System Provides Backup Power to Potomac Edison Customers Impacted by Winter Storm

Convergent Energy and Power (Convergent), a leading provider of energy storage solutions in North America, announced that a battery energy storage system it designed, constructed, and operates provided backup power to nearly 400 Potomac Edison customers during a winter storm event. The 1.75 MW / 8.4 MWh battery storage system in Little Orleans, Maryland, was built to support Potomac Edison customers served by a line in a rural part of Allegany and Washington counties. On February 16, during a period of high winds, the energy storage system provided 11 hours of backup power to reduce the duration of an outage until utility crews were able to make repairs and restore service.

“This is precisely why Convergent exists—to solve problems,” said Don Jenkins, Chief Operating Officer of Convergent. “There was a critical, unplanned need and our system was able to provide power when the broader grid was unavailable. This is a textbook application of Convergent’s value proposition and speaks to the pressing need for more energy storage in communities that are vulnerable to power outages. We are proud to support the Little Orleans community and applaud Potomac Edison for modernizing its energy infrastructure for the benefit of its customers.”

Jim Myers, FirstEnergy’s President for West Virginia and Maryland added, “While power outages can be disruptive, it was reassuring to know that Convergent’s battery energy storage system was readily available for our customers during their time of need.”

The system was developed in response to Maryland’s Energy Storage Pilot Program, which was established in 2019 to examine new technologies that could have a transformative impact on electric distribution systems.

Convergent’s system with Potomac Edison is known as a non-wires alternative, or NWA, which removes or defers the need to construct or upgrade components of a distribution and/or transmission system. Energy storage (typically battery storage) is a type of NWA that offers utilities a way to increase capacity on the electric distribution system by charging the batteries when electricity demand is low and discharging when demand is higher. In 2015, Convergent was the first company to develop an NWA for utility infrastructure in the United States.

Convergent Energy and Power | convergentep.com