Senate enacts Sen. Vitelli bill to improve power grid reliability and use of renewable energy in Maine
AUGUSTA — On Thursday, the Maine Senate voted to enact 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 unanimous, bipartisan support.
“In order to protect our natural resources for generations to come, we must invest in our growing green energy industry. A big part of that will be researching and exploring energy storage technology, which will help us get the most out of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, and help stabilize our power grid reliability,” said Sen. Vitelli. “This is a complex issue, and I’m grateful to everyone who shared their expertise in crafting this bill. I’m excited for Maine to be a leader in our use of energy storage technology.”
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 to help save customers money. 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 goes to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has 10 days to either sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.
