Maine can replace two aging gas-fired peaker plants with up to 200 MW of 4-hour battery storage at a lower lifetime net cost than a new gas plant
Though 2-hour battery storage is the lowest-cost peaker replacement under ISO New England’s current forward capacity accreditation framework — followed by a new F-frame turbine — 4-hour battery storage is more economical under an effective load-carrying capability framework that disadvantages shorter-duration storage assets, the study said
state has less than 100 MW of active grid-connected storage, approximately 225 MW in additional storage capacity is slated to come online by the end of next year
CESA honed in on three particularly costly and underutilized peaker plants as candidates for replacement: the 54-year-old, 40-MW Cape Gas plant; the 23-year-old, 183-MW Verso plant, which previously provided energy to a now-defunct paper mill; and the 59-year-old, 114-MW Wyman 3 plant
capacity factors of 0.1%, 0.6% and 3.3%
With social costs included, the net cost of a new F-frame gas turbine rose from $1.87/kWh to $3.10/kWh under both capacity accreditation frameworks
net cost of 2-hour storage replacement came in at -$0.54/kWh under the qualifying capacity framework and $3.12/kWh under the effective load-carrying capability framework
e net cost of 4-hour storage was $2.42/kWh under QC and $2.63/kWh under ELCC