Battery Program
Use Your Battery Storage Device to Make the Grid More Sustainable
How it Works
With the summer heat, it's important to reduce stress on the grid when possible.
ConnectedSolutions sends signals to inverters that control batteries to reduce peak energy use, reduce air pollution, and lower electricity costs.
You can participate either by installing a battery storage system controlled by one of the approved inverters below. When the time is right, National Grid makes it easy by sending a signal directly to your inverter which controls your battery.
Batteries will be called:
- June - September
- 3pm - 8pm
- No more than 60 times
- A maximum of 3 hours per event
Take the first step! Contact an inverter manufacturer (below) or your installer today.
Supported inverters are:
Incentives
Customers will receive an incentive every summer based on the performance of their battery system.
- Incentive rate: $275 per kW performed per summer
The incentive rate is locked in place for the first 5 summers the customer is enrolled in Connected Solutions for all new systems.
Incentives are performance-based. Your battery system performance will vary based on size, configuration, internet connectivity, and other factors.
Some installers may offer other discounts, such as a reduced upfront cost in return for paying the ConnectedSolutions seasonal incentives to the battery installer. Please see these options on the application.
Customers are eligible to apply for a zero-interest HEAT Loan for the equipment and labor costs associated with installing a battery storage system. If you are interested in receiving an authorization form, please mark the appropriate field on your ConnectedSolutions application.
Materials for ConnectedSolutions for Small Scale Batteries
Application for Connectedsolutions: Small Scale Batteries (To be submitted to the customer's inverter manufacturer)
FAQs
A home battery storage system operates like a rechargeable AA or AAA battery, but at a much larger scale. Home battery systems can be discharged when needed, e.g. when the power goes out (if the system configuration supports this) or when there is a ConnectedSolutions event.
To participate, customers must work with one of the approved inverter manufacturers listed above. Please follow the links above to find the right solution for your situation.
Many customers install energy storage systems in preparation for power outages. We want to ensure that customers with solar batteries remain prepared if the lights go out.
In New England, most power outages occur during the winter, whereas most ConnectedSolutions events will be in the summer. Additionally, if the forecast calls for extreme weather, we will not call a winter event, allowing ConnectedSolutions participants to keep fully-charged batteries in preparation for a possible outage event. Customers may also choose to participate in the summer season and forgo the winter incentive.
Yes. If we cannot communicate with your energy storage system, or if your energy storage system cannot discharge when needed (due to a maintenance issue), the incentive paid will be affected.
Customers who don’t have a renewable energy system but do have an energy storage system that charges from the electricity grid may participate in ConnectedSolutions. If the customer will be discharging electricity to the grid, they must go through the normal interconnection process.
Yes. However, some incentives, such as SMART and the ITC, have limitations on charging from the grid. Please consult your inverter manufacturer or installer for more details.
The SMART incentive program and the Federal Investment Tax credit also have restrictions on charging from the grid.
Yes. Customers with existing solar PV systems can add an energy storage system to their home to participate. However, storage cannot be easily added to every solar PV installation. Please ask your solar installer or inverter manufacturer for more details.
When you add a battery system to your existing solar PV system, your solar interconnection agreement will need to be updated. Please work with your solar installer or inverter manufacturer to complete this update.
To end your participation, please contact your inverter manufacturer or send an email to nationalgridne@energyhub.com.