Green Mountain Power in Vermont is a pretty small utility, as electric utilities go, but it’s pretty innovative. Its battery-storage program has drawn a lot of attention nationally, and this week’s surprisingly damaging storm gave it a test, as GreenTech Media reports:
Among those affected, 1,100 homes managed to keep the lights on thanks to pilot programs specifically designed to promote resilient backup power with energy storage. The battery backup service lasted nine hours on average, but the longest instance ran for 82 hours.
Pretty cool! I decided not to get batteries when I put PV on my roof because of the cost. I lost power for a couple of hours during that storm, which is no big deal; the big problem is that when you’re on a well, without electricity you don’t have running water. Don’t flush that toilet!
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