Full Title: Location, Location, Location: An Economic Comparison of Large-Scale Batteries Installed in Front of vs. Behind the Meter in Massachusetts
Author(s): Clean Energy Group and American Microgrid Solutions
Publisher(s): Clean Energy Group
Publication Date: September 4, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
This report compares the costs and benefits of one utility-scale, front-of-the-meter (FTM) battery system versus five commercial-scale, behind-the-meter (BTM) batteries of the same aggregate cost in Massachusetts. The report, commissioned by Clean Energy Group for the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC), provides useful information to help CVEC decide between two possible ownership models for future energy storage procurement, while also providing a more general cost/benefit comparison between FTM utility-scale and BTM commercial-scale batteries. In this analysis, the larger FTM battery is considered a community storage project, owned and operated by CVEC on behalf of its constituent municipalities. The municipalities would share in any net profit or cost savings realized over the operational life of the system. The BTM batteries are sited at municipal facilities, where they can provide backup power to the host facility when the grid goes down due to extreme weather or system failure.