Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Maryland’s largest utility, introduced a program Tuesday that would provide free batteries to medically vulnerable customers. If adopted, the program would provide a solution for continuous power supply for customers at risk during power outages.
Baltimore gas and electricity
BGE’s pilot program would provide free utility batteries to eligible multifamily facilities with medically vulnerable residents. The batteries would support the electric grid by participating in a virtual power plant and maintaining a state of charge that ensures energy availability for medically vulnerable customers during emergencies. As part of this pilot, BGE plans to install 3 MW of batteries to reach an estimated 300 medically vulnerable customers over two years.
“Baltimore Gas and Electric is making history by introducing this program and raising awareness of an issue that is often forgotten by utilities when communities experience power outages, especially during extreme weather events,” said Jake Duncan, Vote for solar energy‘s South East senior supervisor. “Strengthening local energy resilience and expanding access to battery storage will give communities peace of mind and protect access to life-saving medical equipment during power outages.”
BGE has submitted the pilot proposal to the Maryland Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates utilities. The PSC will review the proposal and is expected to issue an order to approve, reject or modify the proposal in the coming months.
“This pilot was designed with our communities in mind,” Duncan said. “We hope that the PSC recognizes the meaningful benefits it can provide to the people it serves and approves the proposal.”
The utility is also working with United Way to expand its offerings Customer Assistance Fundwith $2.5 million being donated to select customers’ utility bills starting this month. These initiatives come while BGE is here faced with criticism from its customers about rising energy costs, as reported by FOX45Baltimore.
News item from Vote Solar
