Sen. Vitelli introduces bill to improve power grid reliability and use of renewable energy in Maine
AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, introduced a bill 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,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.
“Maine currently trails other New England states in developing policy that encourages energy storage. All ratepayers, including individual consumers, pay more under our current system, which is not well equipped to manage peaks in demand,” said Sen. Vitelli. “The recent crisis in Texas — during which millions of people lost power for days, only to be hit with electricity bills nearing $10,000 once power came back on — is an extreme example of what can happen when a power grid isn’t equipped to manage such demands. By using energy storage technology, we can store excess power, increase the reliability of our power grid and reduce the inefficiencies that occur between peaks and valleys in demand.”
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.
LD 528 would establish a state goal for energy storage system development of 100 megawatts of installed capacity by Dec. 31, 2025. It would amend the laws governing the Efficiency Maine Trust to ensure that the trust’s authority includes energy storage. And it directs the Public Utilities Commission to investigate opportunities to modernize transmission and distribution utility rate designs through time-of-use or other time-differentiated rates. Many renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, generate electricity variably. 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 faces further action in committee.
