Battery Energy Storage Facilities Come Online in Three Westchester Communities

In what is encouraging news for developing renewable energy, three new battery energy systems have come online in Westchester County. 

Calibrant, the company which owns and operates battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Hawthorne, Yorktown, and Ossining, said the systems are connected with Con Edison’s electric grid and are already producing economic benefits under New York state’s Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) program, also known as Value Stack. VDER credits are used to offset utility bills

Calibrant’s BESS sites in Westchester use lithium-ion battery storage modules to store electricity until it is needed by the grid. The BESS in Hawthorne is capable of storing 4.9 million watts of electricity, the one in Yorktown 4.2 million watts and the system in Ossining 4.3 million watts. All three combined can deliver 55.7 megawatt hours of electricity as needed. A megawatt hour in one million watts of electricity fed for one hour.

Tthe BESS facilities in Westchester play an important role in stabilizing the electric grid, especially during peak summer demand. In addition, the battery systems also contribute local taxes, supporting municipal budgets and essential public services. Calibrant develops, owns, and operates a diverse portfolio of distributed energy technologies including battery storage, solar, and microgrids.

“This is terrific news for Westchester County and our region. Battery energy storage systems play a key role in moving to much-needed renewable energy sources. We applaud Calibrant’s investment in this vitally important technology,” said Ron Kamen, Program Director of the BCW’s Clean Energy Action Coalition CEAC). CEAC is a strong advocate of developing battery storage systems in the county.

CEAC includes representatives from clean energy providers, real estate developers, land use attorneys, professional planners, engineers and landscape architects, financiers, government agencies and authorities, heating fuel providers, and nonprofits. CEAC’s mission is to accelerate clean energy adoption through standardized and streamlined municipal approval processes.