Committee passes Sen. Vitelli bill to improve power grid reliability and use of renewable energy in Maine

AUGUSTA — On Friday, the Legislature’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology voted in favor of a bill from Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, that would improve the reliability of Maine’s power grid and use of renewable energy. LD 528, “An Act To Advance Energy Storage in Maine,” received a vote of 8-4, with one member absent.

“Investment in energy storage technology has the potential to improve user experience for Maine consumers of electricity, in terms of cost and reliability. Both individual consumers and all ratepayers pay more under our current system, which is not well-equipped to manage peaks in demand. These peaks require the grid to generate and distribute large amounts of energy for short amounts of time, resulting in a larger, less efficient and more costly energy infrastructure,” said Sen. Vitelli. “I’m thankful to the committee for supporting this bill, which will improve the reliability of Maine’s power grid and save consumers money.”

During the last legislative session, Sen. Vitelli served on the Commission to Study the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of Energy Storage to the Maine Electricity Industry. The commission’s work culminated in a report published in December 2019. The Commission’s report outlines how Maine currently trails other New England states in developing policy that encourages energy storage. To rectify this and to ensure that Maine is taking the necessary steps to build a modern energy infrastructure, the report makes several legislative recommendations. LD 528 is part of that effort and incorporates some of the report’s recommendations.

As amended, LD 528 would establish a state goal for energy storage system development of 300 megawatts of installed capacity by 2025 and 400 megawatts by 2030. It also would direct the Public Utilities Commission to investigate opportunities to modernize transmission and distribution utility rate designs through time-of-use or other time-differentiated rates. Energy storage technology can capture the excess power generated when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining and allow us to discharge that stored energy when needed at a later time. 

“Long-duration energy storage systems will help in optimizing Maine’s transition to clean energy by augmenting less costly but variable clean energy sources like wind and solar when and wherever needed, and by enhancing overall grid resilience, reliability, and efficiency,” said David Costello, climate and clean energy program director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, in testimony supporting the bill.

LD 528 now faces votes in the Senate and House.