New England Leads Grid Storage Boom with Record-Setting Battery Projects

New England is emerging as a hotspot for colossal grid-scale battery installations, with developers continuously setting new regional capacity records. The surge in projects reflects the region’s pressing power demands and ambitious state climate policies.

In late November, the 175-megawatt Cross Town battery in Gorham, Maine, claimed the title of New England’s largest grid battery. However, that milestone was short-lived. On February 25, the 250-megawatt Medway battery in Massachusetts, located about 10 miles southwest of Boston and near Gillette Stadium, became the new regional leader. Developer VC Renewables, a subsidiary of global energy trader Vitol, announced the facility’s full operational status.

“To be fair, I don’t expect Medway to hold that title for very long, either,” said Tom Bitting, managing director at Advantage Capital, which facilitated a $158 million tax equity deal for the project. “There are other batteries being developed in New England that are bigger, but I think it is all just a sign that we need all of it, and there’s huge demand for it.”

The rapid expansion of battery capacity is critical for storing excess renewable energy and reducing system operating costs. Jupiter Power, a major player in Texas’ grid storage market, is developing the 700-megawatt/2.8-gigawatt-hour Trimount battery plant at a former oil-storage site in Everett, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. The project, slated for completion in 2028 or 2029, will rank among the largest standalone batteries in the U.S. The current national record is held by Vistra’s Moss Landing battery in California, which boasts 750 megawatts/3 gigawatt-hours—though much of its capacity was lost in a devastating fire.

New England’s Shift from Small-Scale to Megaprojects

This wave of large-scale battery projects marks a significant shift for New England, which historically focused on smaller, distributed systems. Massachusetts played a pivotal role by mandating energy storage alongside many solar projects that received state incentives. This policy led to the deployment of numerous 1- to 5-megawatt systems.

The trend toward larger batteries gained momentum in the late 2010s, particularly in the western U.S. states like California, Arizona, and Nevada, where developers could secure long-term grid capacity contracts. Texas also became a hotspot due to its uniquely competitive energy market.

Contract Changes Complicate Revenue Models

The first three major New England battery projects—Plus Power’s Cranberry Point, Cross Town, and Medway (originally developed by Eolian)—secured seven-year capacity contracts in 2021. However, the region’s grid operator later reduced these contracts to just one year. This change has created challenges for developers, who now face unpredictable revenue streams. While batteries can charge during low-price periods and discharge when prices rise, financiers may hesitate to back projects with such volatile income potential.